Bonds of Time: The Love Hina Fanboy War Prequel
by Andrew Joshua Talon
Summary: After the Cataclysm of 2004, the world was reborn, helmed by the Hinata Goddesses... COMPLETE: 7604, NEW FEATURES ADDED: Blooper Reel, 101104, ADDITIONAL FEATURES ON THE WAY.
1. The Catalcysm

****

The Bonds of Time

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

****

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The 

Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to. Therefore...

***~''~***

"... And with this, President Bush finally succeeded in ridding the world of Saddam Hussein's terror once and for all," finished the 

young man, looking up into the rows of students watching him. The warm brown auditorium still smelled factory-fresh, the 

building it was part of having only been finished a few months earlier, a new addition to the college campus. The classroom was a 

comfortable temperature, the large windows installed in it by some nameless construction worker letting the fresh, warm spring 

air flow in. The students were divided between taking notes, watching attentively, or sulking, in the case of a few young men in 

the back row, as the young teacher had confiscated their portable hologenerator. 

The professor gave the class a last once-over, before clearing his throat.

"I'll expect a five page paper on the so-called War on Terrorism, with at least twenty references to back up anything you claim. 

Choose a subject, and write on it."

"Just like that, sir? Just choose a subject?" Incredulously asked a student in the middle row. The proffessor nodded.

"You choose what to wear when you wake up in the morning... Or, in some of your cases, just stick with what you rolled out of 

bed with," he added, giving the three holo-fiends a small smile. A few chuckles were heard as the bell tolled. The students packed 

up and filed out of the classroom, the professor going back to his desk and sorting through papers. 

"Um... Professor Talon?" The young man looked up, meeting the gaze of an anxious looking young lady. Her long black hair was 

tied up in a ponytail that was casually flipped over her shoulder, with bright blue eyes that were snuffed time to time by her 

blinks. She was dressed in a modest gray skirt and a red blouse. She was also, physically, at least, two years older than he was.

"Yes, Miss Arney? What can I do for you?" She clutched her books uncertainly, as the professor leaned foward with his fingers 

steepled.

"I was... I was wondering... Well, you see, my father... He said he knew you, back in... Um..."

"2355?" Asked Talon politely. "I remember a Lieutenant Arney, who served as my messenger..."

"Yes, that's him!" Arney acknowledged excitedly, before drawing back with a blush. "Sorry... Sir."

"No problem," Talon soothed. "Was that what you wished to know?" Arney shifted slightly on her feet.

"Well... Um... No. I was wondering, about... Well... I'll be blunt, sir." Talon smiled.

"Good. Blunt is good. Go on," he answered. Arney took a breath.

"I did my high school Political History final on your life, your career... I've read every book you've written and have been written 

about you, sir, and your exploits. You fought against the Empress Naru, and lived! And escaped, as well! You led a resistance 

campaign against the ENE, fought in the Fanboy War twenty years ago, finalized the Treaty of Darnell between the ENE and the 

other major powers-Why are you blushing, sir?" Talon coughed slightly, composing himself.

"Just a stray memory... Miss Arney, yes?" She nodded, taking a deep breath and clutching her books more tightly.

"Er... You helped create the first true democratic government on this planet in three hundred years, trailblazed the Legion of 

Mutsumi's space program, and led the Army of Light in the Demon Goddess War of 2357! I mean, 

you've done all these things, you've been alive since the Great Cataclysm of 2004, one of the Immortal Demi-Gods! You're a 

legend!" Talon nodded.

"Yes... Was that your point, Miss Arney?" She shook her head.

"No, no! I mean, well... If you've done all these things... Why are you just a college history professor now?" Talon blinked, then 

took a deep breath. He rose from his desk, and walked over to one of the large windows, his back to Arney. A robin called 

outside.

"Well... What do you think I should be doing, Miss Arney? Instead?" She blinked.

"Um... I... I don't know..." Talon shrugged, watching the college campus outside. Stray pieces of conversation sneaked through 

the window, as students walked about the large student center.

"If you really must know... I was tired of the politics, the fighting. I'm still a reserve member of the LoM's military, but, to be 

honest... I felt old." Arney blinked curiously at Talon, taking a step closer.

"Old?" Talon smiled wryly, turning to face Arney at last. She couldn't help but notice the hardness inside his dark green eyes, 

mixed with a spark of life and laughter. It was like looking into the eyes of a healthy, wry old man, still able to beat his grown-up 

kids in anything, and as hardy and goofy as ever... But at the same time, a bit of hollowness pervailing in his pupils, signs of a soul 

that had weathered a lot of heartache. The contrast between the body and eyes was indescriable to the three-time winner of her 

school's speeling bee.

"How would you feel, Miss Arney? I'm four-hundred years old, and haven't aged a day since the Cataclysm. I lost my entire 

biological family in the Cataclysm-Well, aside from my little brother, but we've never wanted to be close since the day he was 

born," Talon stated, acid in his voice.

"I fought for my very life, a scared, eighteen-year old boy, in the ruins of Denver for three years. It was then I noticed I had 

stopped aging. Perpetually stuck behind the drinking limit! Heh, I knew some guys who would have kill themselves if that 

happened," Talon noted with a bitter laugh, turning to look out the window again. Arney shuffled her feet, coughing slightly.

"Um... Well..." Talon sighed deeply.

"The people I had taken up residence with, our tiny community that banded together against raiders and barbarians, which I had 

fought for and helped for so long... They threw me out when they learned that I wasn't aging, and when my powers manifested. 

Thought I was a freak," he sniffed, narrowing his eyes in malice.

"Well... Sir... What happened then?" Talon turned, raising an eyebrow.

"Miss Arney?" She couldn't help but smile at his perplexed look, still youthful despite who he was.

"Haven't you noticed just how many people sign up for your class, every year? You're an awesome storyteller." Talon blinked.

"I beg your pardon?" Arney turned and sat down at a place in the front row, giving him a warm smile.

"You can capture people's imaginations, sir. I know that everyone in my dorm loves to listen to your lectures, and some of my 

other professors have gotten tapes made of your classes. I know I can't break away from listening to you." Talon looked down 

on the tiled floor, thoughtful.

"Well... I guess it wasn't my good looks, then," he noted, still looking at the floor. Arney tilted her head quizzically.

"Huh?" Talon looked up and gave her an eyeroll.

"That was a joke, Miss Arney. I believe you've heard of them?" She blushed, smiling sheepishly.

"Er... Sorry, sir... But, please... Can you tell me about your life?" Talon raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you read all my books." Arney sighed heavily.

"Yes, sir, but you only talked about BIG stuff, and rarely mentioned much about yourself. Well, just enough to get an idea of 

your character, but still... You mostly focused on the rise of the Six Goddesses in the 2010's, how they all came to power, the 

First Goddess War, the establishment of the Dual Empire..." Talon sighed, sitting on his desk.

"Don't you have any other classes?" Arney shook her head, smiling. Her expression was similar to one he himself had once 

possessed, a long time ago. Hopeful, eager to learn, a brain like a sponge. He smiled slightly.

"Do you, sir?" Talon shrugged.

"They give me a reasonably flexible schedule. My heavy day is tommorrow." Arney made a face.

"On Friday? Sheesh, how lame is that?" Talon shrugged, smiling wryly.

"I asked the dean to not give me any special treatment. I just took the standard salary and workload, nothing spectacular."

"You don't like recognition, do you?" 

"Well... Being the center of attention was embarrassing to me," Talon answered after a pause, setting his left leg over his right and 

leaning foward. "I never much liked it, to be honest. Thought it might go to my head, and besides... I wanted friends based on 

me, not on my 'prodigy' status, or my pretty well-to-do family. I mean, we gave without thinking, my family. Gifts to everyone, 

money to anyone who asked for it..." He sighed deeply, as Arney gave him a curious look.

"Does that bother you?" Talon shook his head.

"Hardly, hardly... It just took me a while to understand that it wasn't bad to give freely to someone without any... apprehension. 

But, that's my childhood... Before the Cataclysm..." Arney shook her head, knitting her brow.

"I've read books about that, too... Why did it do all of that? What was the Cataclysm?" Talon gave her a disbelieving look.

"You think I would know what the hell it was?" Arney shrugged.

"You survived it, didn't you? And, well... Didn't it give you your powers, and immortality?" Talon sighed, looking at Arney over 

his glasses.

"Just because I survived it doesn't mean I understood it, or ever will. Nor does it mean I know it gave me my powers, though it 

seems logical to assume so. No, we're no closer to figuring out what the Cataclysm was than we were four centuries ago." Arney 

shook her head, her gaze intensifying.

"But, but... What was it like?" Talon grimaced, exhaling through his nose.

"Well... All I know is... I was scrubbing out my bathtub, in my family home outside Denver, Colorado, for 'Family Cleaning Day', 

" Talon smirked a bit. "My father's favorite holiday." Arney giggled a bit, before Talon took a deep breath.

"... Then, a rumble, a bright flash, a force that threw me into the tub and knocked me out, and..." Talon's face darkened, his gaze 

sharpened, at the memory...

***~''~***

"Gah..." Andrew's head was pounding like a bass drum, each pump of his heart sending a wave of pain and nausea 

through his body. He groaned, raising his head up slightly. He made contact with hard wood, agony touched off like a flame to 

the top of his head.

"AUGH!" Andrew lowered himself, groping above him until his hand met the hard wood. Crouching as best he could 

in the tight space, he kept taking deep, even breaths, fighting the urge to throw up.

"Hagh!" He pushed himself up as hard as he could, sending the hard wooden board off of the bathtub. The boy fell 

into the tub again, onto his knees, at the stomach tossing his exodus had incurred.

"God... God..." He murmured weakly, hunched over the side of the tub. He rose his eyes, wincing at the influx of 

sunlight. His eyes adjusted.

His jaw dropped.

"Wha..." Andrew's family, his father, mother, himself and his little brother, had taken up residence in this tidy, elegant 

suburban neighborhood about thirteen years ago. They'd moved here from the South, with his father's change in jobs, and even 

though the rest of his family lived back in the Land of Dixie, Colorado had become the young Talon's home. And this suburb, 

though filled with nosy neighbors and the Neighborhood Beautification Board (aka the Lawn Nazis), was a decent place to live.

Emphasis on was.

The area looked like ten twisters had hit it. Fires burned intermittenantly among piles of wreckage and wood, that 

had once been houses. Cars had been demolished, as if giant hands had reached out of the sky, took hold of them, and flung 

them like marbles. The Talon family's car, a sleek gray sedan, was relatively intact beneath a pile of scorched wood in their 

driveway, but Andrew's car, an older, bright red coup, had been smashed into a lightpole. He'd mistaken it for a giant, crushed 

Coca Cola can.

"Oh God..." Andrew slowly, shakily, got to his feet. He stumbled out of the tub, holding onto it's rim for support. 

Breathing slowly, trying to stay calm, he looked about himself. His house, obviously, was scrap. He looked toward their 

backyard, where his father had been mowing the lawn. 

"DAD?!" Andrew gaped, at the corpse. Hanging from the scorched tree, twisted among it's branches, it's glasses still 

on... Andrew turned and ran, ran as fast as he could. He tripped and fell, onto the browned grass lawn, and shot up again, 

running down the street. More bodies, more smashed cars, a dollhouse laying on it's side in the street, a bicycle on a lamp post...

Andrew fell to his knees, in the middle of the ruined street. He slapped his hand over his mouth, too late to hold in 

the gush of vomit. He retched horribly, falling to the side after he'd dry heaved to finish up. He shook violently, pale as a glacier, 

tears on the edge of his eyes but refusing to fall. A whimper escaped his mouth.

"God... God... God..." He whispered, too weak to curl up into a ball...

***~''~***

"..." Arney gaped, as Talon took a deep breath to compose himself.

"Yes... That's what it was like," he said quietly. Arney nodding, swallowing audibly. She hissed in a breath, and 

coughed. 

"I'm... Sorry..." Talon looked curiously at her.

"Sorry? For what?" Arney shrugged, gulping again.

"For... For bringing up bad memories?" Talon sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head.

"Miss Arney, haven't you paid any attention at all to anything I've said in this class?" The professor asked wearily. 

Arney gave him a blank look.

"I think so, sir..."

"Apparently not. Bad memories need to be remembered, just like good memories. That was the first thing I said to 

this class, more or less, remember?" Talon prodded. Arney flushed around her ears.

"Er... I was late, sir... Dentist's appointment." Talon nodded, half-smiling.

"I see... Yes, I remember... All right then. Shall I continue?" Arney nodded, a bit less enthusiastically this time 

around.

"Yes sir... What did you do, afterwards?" The professor shrugged, sighing.

"I guess it was... An hour later, maybe, though who knows? Anyway, I managed to get up, and headed back to my 

house... Well, it's ruin, anyway. My dad kept a spare key to his car, hidden in the gas cap and secured by a magnet. I got it, got 

in the car, and drove off." Arney blinked.

"Why, sir?"

"I didn't want to stay there. Ever since my mother passed away, I felt... I felt almost like a trespasser, in graveyards. 

I can't explain it, I've never felt comfortable around the dead, and I probably never will..."

"Didn't you... Have a brother, sir?"

"He was staying at a friend's house, five miles away. That was the other reason. I had to drive around wrecked cars, 

demolished buildings, even a crashed plane... But it wasn't worth it."

"He was...?"

"No, not dead... Though, he was gone..."

***~''~***

The sleek sedan had always gotten exceptional gas mileage, along with it's other attributes like nimbleness and agility. 

This was why the Talons had been so fond of it: Outrunning and outmanuvering the big brute SUVs that were clogging the 

roadways of Denver.

The sedan didn't take any real damage, just a jagged crack it it's windshield and dents all over it's once perfectly 

smooth hull. And, in this vehicle, Andrew Talon hummed down the roads, to another suburban wasteland where his brother 

might be.

"God..." Andrew looked out at the wreckage, unable to curb the desire to stare at the gruesome carnage all around 

him. Houses reduced to piles of matchsticks, dead horses and cows from the few scattered farms lying around in the dirt...

"Damn," he growled as he passed his high school. It had survived nearly completely intact, only it's large cafeteria 

windows shattered to dust. He couldn't believe how unfair the system was, even in ruin...

After passing through destroyed traffic lights and stop signs, he finally made it to the house his brother had been out. 

It was ironic, he supposed. This house was the home of Emily Fletcher, a somewhat friend of his brother's, and the girl Andrew 

had taken to prom. It was just as friends, of course, but...

"Geez..." Emily's house was built of heavy brick, and looked little worse for wear. Compared to the smaller, 

thinner-walled houses around it, lying in ruin as shrines to whatever horror had caused this. Talon looked out into the distance. 

The skyline of Denver looked like it had been beaten by a giant stick, though it stayed standing. Small points of orange signaled 

fires, which Andrew ignored as he parked on the side of the street, and walked clumsily to the door. The garage door was open, 

and one of the cars that was normally there was missing. Strange...

"Emily?! Mrs Fletchert?! Ben?! ANYONE?!" The door had stayed strong, hard iron and reinforced glass. This 

house was something left over from the sixties, he supposed. Hearing no answer, he pulled open the door, and headed in. He 

shook his head at the jumbled living and dining rooms, before hearing a slight struggle behind a door.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Andrew called, clambering over an upturned couch. Someone beat against the closet door, 

which was blocked by a wrecked piano.

"Oh, give me a break," Andrew groaned, taking grip of the piano and pushing hard. One of it's three wheeled legs 

was gone, but he managed to scoot it just enough for the door to edge open. Andrew pushed harder, nudging it away from the 

door itsef, before the closet opened and out tumbled a lithe, dirty blonde girl.

"OOF!" Right on top of Andrew. He hissed at the pain, as the girl clumsily pushed off of him.

"Andrew? How'd you get here? What's happened? Where's Ben?" Emily's voice had tuned to a dull buzz in Talon's 

head, as he saw a note flutter toward him. He snatched it out of the air, staring at the signature "BEN" on the face of it. He 

opened the crumpled paper, as Emily paused in her questioning, and read.

"'Dear Andrew... I know you're coming here, I know Dad's dead, and I know that this... Whatever it was, is 

worldwide. '

"'... I don't know how I know, I don't, I just do...'

"'I knew you'd get here, and get Emily out. Her parents are dead, too. There are only about thirty people alive in this 

neighborhood, maybe more, I'm not sure. Anyway, you shouldn't try to come after me. I took Emily's mom's Jeep. I just..." 

Here, the print had been scribbled out a bit, making it hard to read. Talon skipped to the next line.

"'I need to go East. That's all I know, this feeling, compelling me... And I got a strange feeling, of six... People? 

Points, power, people who have been changed by this Cataclysm, made strong... Strong enough to be felt over here. And they'll 

be coming here, Andrew, they'll come here, because their home has been destroyed. We've both been changed, too, millions 

have. Millions of people our age, with power I can feel, all over the world... And I don't know how, or why.'

"'Go and stay at our church, you'll be safe here. Gangs will form, take control of the city interior. Go out only during 

the day and search for other survivors. Store food, get weapons, whatever. When three weeks are up, go to the little church on 

the hill, and to the office. Take what you first see, you'll know what it is...'

"'We were never close, and I never really liked you, Andrew. I know you don't like me, and probably never will. 

But, just take this advice, because I've seen it. I don't know why, maybe this thing made me lose my mind, I doubt it. Trust me, 

just do what I said.'

"'Save my friends, who survived. I have to go. '

"'Ben...'"

Silence fell in the house as a low breeze whistled outside, a mournful tone...

***~''~***

"So... You did what it said?"

"Well... Yes. Even if my brother was a total bastard to me, I afforded him this much trust. And he didn't steer me 

wrong."

"And after those three weeks? What was in that office?"

"Well, you should know, Miss Arney, if you've read everything about me. I have it with me on the cover of the latest 

(and, if I might say so, most boring) book ever written about me. Then again, it's my opinion all the books about me are boring. 

The books about Kana, Kebinu, the Goddesses... Now THOSE are books..."

"Really?"

"Duh. I wrote a fair number of them..."

***~''~***


	2. The First DemiGods and Goddesses

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 2

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to. Therefore...

(A/N: This is a slightly revised version of the second chapter, one which I hope is better than the first.)

''

"Mmm... I'm so glad the Jolly Rancher company came back..." Murmured Talon, as he popped another watermelon flavored hard candy into his mouth. Crunching it, as was his habit, he quickly but carefully swallowed it, before turning to Miss Arney and offering the bag. "Like some?"

"No thanks, sir," she demurred, before shooting Talon that 'eager beaver' look again. "So, what was it that you found in the church on the hill?"

"Impatient person, aren't you?" Groused Talon, though his smile gave him away. "Well... As I said, I had it with me in a picture on that last book about me."

"_Knight of Forever_, right?" Talon made a face.

"Terrible name, for an even worse book," Talon sighed, pushing the Jolly Rancher bag back into his desk drawer. Arney looked at him in confusion.

"What? I thought it was a good book!" Talon rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, if you want to see your best friends portrayed as morons, and only yourself as the smart one. The truth is WAY away from what that despicable woman wrote. It wasn't ME off doing all that stuff. There are hundreds of heroes in this Era of the Goddesses who deserve recognition for what they did, not me. Which the idiot who wrote _Knight of Forever_ seemed to skip over," Talon growled, clenching his fist and teeth.

"And I did NOT have a child with Emily Fletcher," he added with a huff. Arney scratched her pointed chin thoughtfully.

"But... You were close to her, right?"

"Yes... Yes, I was. I stayed with her at her parent's home. We would have moved into the new community at our ex-school, before the three weeks was up, but... She wanted to stay at the only place she'd truly called home. And, I was committed to being with her. For support," Talon answered, a faraway gaze upon his face. Arney coughed.

"Did you... Love her?"

"I suppose... I mean, we'd cared for each other, kind of like brother and sister, before the Cataclysm. And... Well... She tried to get us to... You know..." Arney smiled.

"But, you resisted. And, won the Guinness World Book of Records for the longest recorded virginity, of two hundred years, two months, and six days!" Talon shot Arney a beady-eyed expression.

"First off, that's not really true, which I'm not ashamed to say. Second, you read this about me? Did you have ANY semblance of a life in high school?" Arney blushed.

"Well... Erm... I, uh... Kind of... Had a crush on you. When I was a little girl. And, I... Started a fan club." Talon raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you get any ideas now, Miss Arney," Talon said coldly. Arney blushed even more.

"I wasn't! I wasn't!"

"Good. Because I'm above such things as abuse of teacher-student relationships, or groupies. Believe me, I've had a lot of experience with bizarre, misguided people who thought I was 'the One' for them, simply because I was some sort of hero in their eyes. No offense."

"None taken. So, what was it? Your, um... Cloak?"

"Yeah, right. You have any idea how many sets of armor and clothes I went through, thanks to constant combat with the ENE?"

"My bad. Um... Your... Sword?"

"Very good. Yes, I found Greyspar at that church, during a... Rather unpleasant time..."

''

"GAH!" Andrew jumped over the fallen tree trunk, hitting the ground hard with his shoulder. Not wasting a moment, he threw himself up behind the trunk, raised his 12 gauge rifle, and started firing.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! With each click of the magazine, the young boy sent another shell at his pursuers. At least ten older men and boys, all sporting red bandanas over mussy clothing, and all armed with rifles, pistols, even a sub-machine gun. Andrew ducked as the group returned fire, his covering log racked by bullets.

"C'mon, kiddo! Give it up! We outmatch you at every turn, boy, so why not surrender? We won't hurt you!" Called a woman's voice in a superior tone. Andrew dared to peek above the log, then ducked back down. He cursed under his breath as another few shells hit the log.

"Great, guess she found her calling in life," Andrew snarled.

At the head of the small but well armed gang, a robust, blonde young woman cocked her scope rifle at the log. She pointed with her fingers, and two of her men headed to the left. She hissed a breath.

"Andrew! Listen to me, it doesn't have to be like this!"

"Yeah right, Brittany... Uh..."

"Trebecht!"

"Who cares? You were a bitch in school, and you're a bitch now! And, this show of force just proves what a coward you are! Hey guys, how much did she charge you for her 'services'?!" Andrew shouted back, managing not to let his 'be nice and polite, even while under fire' instinct take control.

The girl, with elaborate make up, narrowed her eyes. Brittany Trebecht had been the head cheerleader, student body president, and more or less most popular girl at Talon's high school-Mostly by trading her sex for prestige. She was worse than a simple whore, though-She was an intelligent whore, a mean, nasty, conniving whore, who enjoyed treating boys like one-use razors, then tossing them into the gutter. Andrew had come at odds with her on the intellectual battlefield before, mostly after she'd used one of his friends like this. And, he'd managed to humiliate her in class and on a debate team. And though they were pretty insignificant to Andrew, to Brittany, it was a series of blows to her power base she could not forget.

"Look, we've been pretty bad enemies in the past-"

"And present! And, hopefully, the foreseeable future!" Brittany rolled her eyes. Even while fighting for his life, he was a smartass.

"But, we could set that aside! I mean, I can always use another good man."

"I'm not enthused about being part of a harem, thanks. And besides, you only want me because I have the access codes to Fortune's defense system!"

Fortune, the name the mix of students, teachers, strangers, and assorted survivors had given to the old high school, had quickly filled out into a one-building village. The school labs were well equipped with tools, chemicals, and systems, which the inhabitants had rigged into a decently sophisticated defense grid. It was a combination of a high-powered electric fence, a modified sprinkler system to spurt out noxious gases, and electric barriers and bars.

Of course, they'd tied all of this together into a single computer, for simplicity's sake. And, all of the people who were sent out daily into the wreckage of outer Denver for supplies were given the ID codes to disable the system. The guy who'd programmed it had wanted a bit of adventure to his masterwork, and, since he was the only network expert they had, they'd been forced to let the deluded worm do what he wanted.

"Well... Yes, that's one of my goals... But, I'm willing to help you in anything you need, in order to reach my goal!"

"No thank you, Borg Queen," Andrew tossed over his shoulder, dismally checking his ammo in his long, patched brown trenchcoat. He was down to a mere five shells. That's all his "Salvage Team" had managed to find for him, before they'd gotten separated in an ambush. Andrew wondered where they were... He saw movement to his right.

"Excuse me, got to run!" BANG! BANG! The sounds of two men screaming in pain, along with erupting gunfire, followed Andrew as he ran like hell up the hill. Trebecht cursed, then motioned two of her men to go after him.

"Everyone else, let's get back to Fortune! We'll try out the rocket launchers." And with that, she was gone. Andrew panted as quietly as he could, struggling, foot by foot, up the hill. He'd spotted an old church he'd used to ride his bike past on the top, and it looked like it would make a decent hideout. Well, for a little while, anyway.

But, he also might be trapping himself inside, with two armed gunmen. He made it to the side of it's door, breathing heavily, all the while his nerves were raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

PANG! Andrew's eyes were wide open. A bullet had hit the door frame, not ten inches from the tip of his nose. Rushing in, he threw the door shut behind him, and quickly scooted a nearby chair to hold it. The sound of fists banging on the door began in earnest as Andrew ran through to the large, open sanctuary. He shut the door, blocked it with a chair as well, and staggered into the rows of dully-colored pews.

The sanctuary was dusty, sun light pouring in (and causing glare) from a large, circular stained glass window documenting the Virgin Mary, with the infant Jesus. Talon ignored the twisted, colored light, crawling under the pews to the pulpit. He heard the men break through the outer door, and start pushing against the second. Andrew got to the pew, ducking behind it. He loaded his last shells. Through the hole cut into it for the microphone cord, Andrew set his aim for the shuddering door. Took a deep breath...

CLANK. Andrew spun around, dropping his gun in his panicked attempt to get a bead on whatever...

Oh.

Andrew sighed in relief, at the dusty sword and scabbard lying before him. He reached for his gun.

SMASH! The two men had leveled the door, and began spraying the sanctuary with lead from machine guns. A deafening buzz accompanied the bullets, wood splinters erupting from the furniture.

"Shit!" Andrew covered his head with his hands, the pulpit's thick, hard wood taking the punishment for him. His rifle was sprayed by bullets, being knocked out of handy reach. The onslaught stopped with a few loud clicks. Andrew's ravaged eardrums managed to pick up the two men whispering, before he heard them advance toward the pulpit, their boots making dull thuds against the thinly carpeted floor. He heard them cock different guns-He guessed they'd run out of ammo for their machine weapons.

Andrew looked up, and stared for a moment at the broadsword. He looked about him. No way he could run for it, there was no cover available. His gaze met the sword again. Gulping, and feeling like he wanted to throw up, he picked up the sword, and clumsily pulled it from the scabbard. He held it in front of him, gripping the handle tightly. It felt light, easy to maneuver...

But this sword was technology of the 11th or 12th century. The men behind him had weapons of the 21st. It was like... Fire versus an atom bomb. He had no chance. Andrew felt tears form in his eyes, as the men closed in. He was going to die, in a church of all places. And here he was, still unable to figure out if there really was a God.

No more Emily... No more Ben, not that he'd seen him in two years, but still...

Andrew took a deep breath, his heart pounding, and gritting his teeth. Better he died facing them, instead of crouching here without even the slightest chance. Maybe the desperate sight of him wielding a sword would catch them off-guard...

"YAH!" Andrew leapt up with all his strength, twisting in the air, going higher, higher, higher…

And came to a dead stop on the ceiling. His breath caught in his teeth, as he stared down at the equally shocked men below him.

_He was sticking to the ceiling._ His feet had made contact with the hard wood above him, as had his flailing, free hand without his sword, and all three were now stuck. He blinked, staring down at the men, before looking up at the ceiling again.

"What… What the hell…" One of the men stuttered below, his rifle shaking in his hands. The other, getting over his astonishment, pulled up his own rifle and fired.

Andrew instinctively moved to his left, with a speed he'd never known before and the bullet hit the roof instead. The men below got over their shock, and began casting lead at the confused, frightened teenager.

It was a barrage of bullets, all shooting at him at well over the speed of sound… But to Andrew, each one seemed to be moving in slow motion. He crawled down, up, side to side, in order to avoid every single projectile. And he did. At one point, though, he seemed to lose his grip, and fell, right at the men below.

"_Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!"_ And even as he fell, everything around him seemed like it was swimming through cold peanut butter. The bullets continued to come, and faced with a lack of any other choices, Andrew lifted his sword to deflect the bullets. He saw the men's faces grow and stretch into fear and horror, as he closed in on one of them.

The blade made contact with this goon, with the broad side of the sword. He was hit hard, his eyes widening in shock and pain, as he slowly crumpled into the man next to him. And that's when Andrew hit the ground, flat on his face.

"_Oof!"_

Everything sped back up, the men hitting the floor in a chorus of grunts and groans of pain. Andrew shook a bit, gripping the sword so tightly his knuckles turned stark white, staring at his pursuers. Though his nose was bleeding from landing on it, he didn't notice.

"Oh God... Oh God..." Andrew shakily got to his feet, leaning on the sword like a cane, and slowly walked out of the church, through a side door. He stared toward the local road, and numbly walked down it. Somewhere overhead, a songbird called happily. Andrew kept shaking his head, staring at the ground, pulling himself along with a combination of half-hearted steps and his sword's footholds.

"How'd I... What..." He didn't feel much like talking to himself. How'd he leap so high? How had he stuck to the ceiling? How had he dodged those bullets? What had happened in there? It was like...

"_The Matrix_," he murmured, looking up and straightening himself. Andrew held up the sword in his hand, furrowing his brow. Had the sword given him... Super speed, or something?

Super speed... Andrew set the sword down, and bent down in a rough approximation of a runner's starting position. To an imaginary gunshot, he pushed himself forward. He ran.

"Hoooolllllyyyyyyy shiiiiitttt!" Andrew found nearly everything a blur around himself, though he was able to pick up every detail of what he passed without trouble. A contradiction he would have sorted out if he hadn't lost his footing in shock.

"GAH!" Andrew hit the ground, gritting his teeth at the pain. He'd landed on his shoulder, ow... Clumsily, Andrew pushed himself to his feet with his other arm, managing to get up without much trouble. He checked the shoulder he'd landed on. It wasn't dislocated, though it sure hurt a lot. Taking his eyes off his shoulder, Andrew looked up the hill. He couldn't stop his jaw from dropping... Again.

"Wow..." He could barely make out his sword on the top of the hill! In that short burst, he estimated he'd covered a quarter mile, the length of the track at his old school it had taken him five minutes to get around at a pretty fast jog.

And it had taken him a matter of seconds to run it. And he didn't even feel out of breath.

Andrew looked around himself, at Fortune in the distance. He looked back up at his sword, lying up above him. He couldn't help but grin.

"Well... So much for taking the bus to school..."

''

"So, let's see... Super human speed, enhanced perception, increased stamina and endurance, and… sticking to walls," Arney recited, smiling up at Talon.

"That cover it?" Talon nodded thoughtfully, trying to hide his chagrin at the girl's beaming smile.

"Yes. However, you realize my powers are barely above that of the baseline demi-god and goddess?"

"But, you were able to defeat people much more powerful than you were!" Arney protested.

"That was due more to luck, ingenuity, and determination on my part," Talon drawled.

"And your sword?"

"Well, it helped a lot. Much later, I'd find out that my sword (to my knowledge) couldn't be broken, melted, or dulled by anything on Earth. I ran to Fortune, to find the battle in full swing. And, well..."

"You stopped them all by yourself," smiled Arney, a slightly devilish look coming onto her face. "They never knew what hit them! Man, what I would have given to see the looks on their faces..."

"And the looks on my friend's faces? Before they became my persecutors?" Talon asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at Arney. She blushed, smiling sheepishly.

"Er... Sorry, sir. I forgot, they... They threw you out." Talon nodded, a hard look on his face.

"I guess it's true, people will FIRST fear what they do not understand, and it takes time for them to understand it. In my case, they didn't give themselves time to understand it, and so they banished me." Arney looked at her professor in curiosity, tilting her head.

"What about Emily?" Talon shrugged, sighing.

"She wanted to go with me, but I made her stay. In hindsight, it was probably a moot point. She stopped aging a year later, and when her powers finally emerged, they threw her out too. But I didn't know that, and so, I set out for the South." Arney narrowed her eyes at the hard wooden desk before her, frowning in thought.

"But sir, why South? Did you feel... Compelled? Did you feel a sense of destiny in going there?" Talon blinked.

"I went South, because I picked a random direction and WENT that way." Arney blushed.

"Oh... Erm, sorry." Talon shrugged, a slightly amused expression growing on his face.

"Besides... Winter was approaching, and so, I decided to play migration and see where I ended up. I wandered around the West for about ten years." Arney raised an eyebrow.

"Ten years? Why?"

"Well, I didn't exactly have anywhere to go, after all. That's kind of the point of wandering. I don't remember most of what I did, aside from walking around, catching and eating my food, and talking to myself." Talon walked back behind his desk, sitting down behind it, and pulled out a bottle of water from a drawer. Taking a swig, he looked up at Arney with a raised eyebrow.

"Would you like some water? I have a few more bottles." Arney nodded.

"Sure." Talon tossed her one, which she deftly caught. Twisting it open, she downed a sip, before looking back at the professor.

"And, I'm guessing... Around this point, you met the Goddess of... Well, what is Empress Mutsumi's element?" Talon smiled with a slight sparkle in his eyes.

"Ah, now that is a good question... Well, we know she's an incredibly powerful telepath, possibly the strongest on this planet. She can heal with her powers, various ailments of the mind and body, and she can process information at speeds the greatest super computer on Earth can't match. But, of course, I didn't know this at the time I met her. It was in the ruins of San Diego. Mutsumi had been stranded here, essentially, by the Cataclysm, as she was originally from Okinawa. She'd been wandering, somewhat like myself, for the last twelve years, not knowing what she had become. And so, I met her when I had to rescue her from a gang of thugs..."

"You like rescuing people, don't you?"

"Hey, who doesn't?"

''

"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?" Crooned one of six badly clothed thugs, bearing his yellowing teeth in a grin. His cronies followed suite, closing in on the dusty but beautiful woman standing in front of the remains of a large office building. Her long, raven black hair, wrapped in a crude ponytail, was mussy and clumped, with odd ends sticking out everywhere. Her pale face had a fine layer of dust on it, as did her long blue cloak, white turtleneck, black skirt, and knee-high boots.

However, her face, though dirty like the rest of her, was heart shaped and gentle, a slight smile playing on her lips even now, with a benign spirit shining out for all to see.

"I suppose... Ara... Are you really quite sure you'd like to do this? I mean, we could share some watermelon... I have some in my satchel..." The goons laughed heartily.

"No thanks, babe! I think the only 'melons' I'm in the mood for are right in front of me." The woman held up one of her watermelons from her bag, smiling ever-so-nervously.

"Ara... This one? Oh my-" The woman tripped, falling to her knees and tossing the watermelon into the leader's face.

"OW!" He went down, the blow surprisingly strong. One of the other goons reached over and grabbed the woman's hair roughly.

"Ha! Guess you're sloppy seconds, Lead! I call her first!" A second later, a black blur rushed by this adventurous fellow. He was still grinning, though a few of his teeth had fallen out. Another goon stared at him.

"Denorio... You okay, man?" Denorio fell over, still grinning though unconscious, into the dirt. The woman slowly began to get to her feet, while the rest of the gang began to look around apprehensively.

"Did you see that?"

"What was-AUGH!" The blur reappeared, though this time it stayed in one spot and punched another goon. He went sailing into a brick pile, crashing into it at cringe worthy velocity. The black blur, now a black figure, stood like the specter of Death in front of them all.

"What the hell-?"

"GET HIM-GAH!" The figure blurred again, punching this next speaker so hard he sailed over a wall. Another ran and tried to jump the dark figure, but it effortlessly grabbed his fist and flung him into a bent lamp post. The figure turned, and stared at the last two men. They pulled their guns.

"Dodge this, _Diablo_!" Snarled one as they fired multiple shots at the figure. It twisted and turned in mid-air, a blur of movement as it dodged every bullet. The two men stopped firing, gaping in horror.

"Holy-!"

"Hey," said the figure quietly, "I did what you said. _Comprende_?" And with that, the figure blurred again, punching both men into an overturned truck. The leader, getting up (finally) from his watermelon-induced nap, blinked blearily at the black figure.

"Who... What the-?" The figure blurred again, and pulled the leader roughly to his feet. The figure snarled in his face, an otherworldly sound that made the leader shudder.

"Let me tell you one thing, _hermano_. You so much as THINK of raping another woman ever again," the figure threw the leader, screaming, into a crushed mailbox. He was silenced with the impact.

"I'll throw you into the sea," the figure stated, before turning on the leader, and walking over to the woman. She was looking mournfully at her crushed watermelon, sighing dismally. The figure crouched down near her.

"Miss?" She turned, and smiled sadly at him. He blinked.

"Ara... Thank you for rescuing me, whoever you are... But, ara, there goes my last watermelon," she sighed again, looking at it in a heartbroken kind of way. The figure blinked, then awkwardly patted the woman on her back.

"I'm... I'm sorry, really. Um... Well, I think I should be going now." The woman nodded, smiling at him. The figure kept staring at her. Why couldn't he break eye contact, dammit?

"Well, thank you again, I have to be going... too... ara..." The woman's eyes rolled back into her head, as she collapsed, the dark figure catching her in his arms. His eyes widened.

"Holy-No pulse?! Oh crap, oh crap, um... CPR!" With that, the figure removed his cowl, and began to breathe air into the woman's lungs. Ignoring the sensation that resulted when their lips touched, Andrew (for that, of course, was who it was) began pumping her chest. He bent down, gave her another breath, and pumped her chest again. He bent down once more...

"Mmmph, mmph mm mmph?" She mumbled against his mouth. Talon pulled back, and in his shock fell back on his butt.

"Gah! Are you-Are you okay?! You passed out, and weren't breathing, um, so I-" The woman giggled a bit.

"Oh, I thank you for your concern, but I'm all right. You see, I'm an anemic." Andrew blinked at her.

"An anemic." She nodded.

"Yes, I am. I pass out whenever I over-exert myself... Um, which seems to happen often." Talon's eyes grew wide as he threw up his hands in disbelief.

"Then what the hell are you doing wandering around, alone, at night in a place like this?!" She smiled sheepishly, shrugging.

"Ara... I don't have anywhere to go. I've been wandering around here for quite some time, you see. Ara, I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble. Perhaps, I should just go..." She stood up, hefting her satchel over one shoulder under her cloak, and turned away. Andrew put a hand on her shoulder, gently. She stopped.

"Um... I do feel obligated, to make sure you get to safety," Andrew said, looking earnest. Mutsumi stared at him, before holding up her hand and cupping his cheek. Talon felt his face go hot at the sensation.

"Um... Miss?"

"You remind me... Of someone... Long time ago," she murmured, looking over his face. Talon blinked once or twice, his mind going pleasantly numb at her soft touch. However, his enhanced sense of awareness kicked him out of it, and he (reluctantly?) pulled her hand away.

"Miss, I think we should go. These goons are part of the _Descalabro Ejercito_, the Misfortune Army. Former drug lords turned... Well... Drug lords who essentially own the area we're in. Can we go?" The woman smiled at him, as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Oh my..." Talon pulled out a grappling hook and cable. He shrugged at the woman, as he started whirling it around.

"It seemed like a good idea, since I don't have the endurance to run everywhere I want to go," he explained, throwing it and watching with satisfaction as the hook locked onto an old flagpole. He tightened his hold on her slightly, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"If I may... What is your name?" Andrew tried to keep his thoughts away from the fact that her warm body was pressing against his, with two large, firm yet soft lumps-He shook his head, silently growling his perverted side away.

"Andrew Talon. And, you?" The woman's eyes crinkled in a way reminding Talon of his grandmother.

"Mutsumi Otohime. It's a pleasure-" She was cut off when Andrew leapt, using his powers and the rope to speed them away into the darkness.

''

"Heh... You always struck me as a kind of romantic," Arney said with a smirk. Talon raised his eyebrows.

"It was practical at the time."

"Well, it's kind of hard to ignore speculating what went on in, and I quote, 'the next three years Mutsumi and I wandered together in the East.'" Arney raised an eyebrow at the professor. Talon allowed himself a slightly twisted smile.

"Well, frankly, Miss Arney..." The student bent forward, smiling eagerly.

"Yes?" Talon winked at her.

"It's none of your damn business." Arney blinked, then grinned in a rather triumphant way.

"So you two DID-" The professor held up a hand to silence her, and she complied. Talon had that effect on people, for some reason.

"I'm not saying we did... Though I will admit, there were times when my love for her... Grew in a direction I didn't particularly care for," he said diplomatically, making a face at his as yet unsquashed perverted side. Arney blinked at him curiously.

"Love her?"

"Well, you couldn't very well NOT love her, if you spent that long of time with her, as her friend. And that was why I became her second-in-command when she united the people of Washington, DC, together, willingly, into a larger community," Talon stated, taking a long drink from his water bottle.

"Yes, and started your own navy, of submarines you yourself designed, which are still in use by numerous navies around the Goddess Empires today," said Arney, as if reciting it from a textbook. Talon nodded, tossing the now empty bottle into the trash.

"Indeed. Because, well... I remembered Ben's prophecy, and I decided that, in the event these five other entities came around, I wanted to be prepared if they became hostile." Arney titled her head.

"But sir... Where did the Goddesses come from?" Talon smirked slightly.

"From Japan, actually. They were all roommates at a dormitory in the little town of Hinata Springs, along with their landlord. Mutsumi was one of them, but she and the landlord (who, by the way, was Lord Keitaro) were here in the US on a foreign study trip, before they got separated by the Cataclysm." Arney pursed her lips.

"Kind of odd, that it was everyone from that dorm who became goddesses." Talon shook his head, a serious expression on his face now.

"Not everyone became a goddess, and none of them knew what they were until much, much later. They were more concerned about staying alive. They didn't notice they'd stopped aging until two years later, and it wasn't until three years after that they made it here." Arney blinked.

"Why'd it take them so long?"

"A large number of demi-gods and goddesses were keeping them busy, in a super powered gang fight. And, they'd been trying to build an aircraft to get them here. But it was slow going, there wasn't a lot to work with. Finally, they flew over here, to the last city they'd known Mutsumi and Keitaro were in-"

"Denver."

"Right, and began to search. Five years later, though, they'd all separated due to varying reasons." Arney nodded, narrowing her eyes.

"And so the First Goddess Empires were born," she said. "Naru, Goddess of Fire, in Denver, Shinobu of Light and Suu of Earth in Colorado Springs, Kitsune of Water and Ice in Las Vegas, and Haruka of The Storm (Darkness, Lightening, and Wind) in Montreal." Talon nodded, impressed.

"With Motoko and Kanako, who would later get Haruka's powers." Arney shook her head thoughtfully, looking at Talon in wonder.

"Who were their lieutenants? The demi-gods and goddesses they met on their way?" Talon smiled, his eyes showing his relief.

"Well, I'd be happy to tell you..."

"You're happy we're moving away from you, aren't you?" Arney asked blandly. Talon looked slightly taken aback, before narrowing his eyes.

"Miss Arney, as you well know, I dislike recognition. I was content to serve Mutsumi, first and foremost as her friend, as her second in command-"

"And, as her lover?" Asked Arney slyly. Talon lowered his eyebrows.

"Miss Arney, do you want me to continue, or shall I simply walk out thanks to these interruptions?" Arney raised up her hands in appeasement, her eyes widening slightly.

"No, no! I'm sorry sir, really, but... I couldn't help it. The stories that filter out about your sex lives..." Anrey shook her head, smiling sheepishly.

"Yes, yes, that's something Kana would probably find most amusing," Talon sighed. Arney shifted forward.

"Can you tell me why?"

"Well, why not? Let's start with the goddess I liked most of all after Mutsumi, Lady Shinobu. And her often depressed knight in shining armor," Talon said with a slightly dramatic flair. Arney's eyebrows ascended slightly, her thoughts bouncing about her mind.

"Have you ever considered taking up theater?" Talon rolled his eyes.

"People have been asking me that since I was your age. Some things never change..."

''

****

Now, I'm going to have to be a bit more specific in my requests for reader participation: Who would like to be the steadfast lieutenants of the Goddesses when they set up their Empires? Any volunteers?

Please keep in mind, you volunteer at your own peril. I haven't killed off a lot of characters in my time, but please do remember, the plot could twist every which way. R&R, please! And I'd appreciate any advice you could offer me, Kanako and Kana! You too, Kebinu!

__

Next Chapter: **Well away from the East Coast, Shinobu and Suu set up their empire in what was once Colorado Springs. Suu takes control of Cheyenne Mountain, as Shinobu's kindness begins to heal the land and people. But, a darkness is growing to the North... One with antenna...**


	3. Shinobu's Interlude

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 3

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to. Therefore...

''

"Lady Shinobu! I beseech thee!"

The blue tressed goddess, called Shinobu Maehara, calmly surveyed the man before her. On a boulder, within the ruins of Colorado Springs, she sat as she had for several weeks now, voluntarily healing the sick and wounded with her powers. She'd been at this for some time, helping the people.

Her people... Shinobu smiled kindly at the man, covered in boils oozing greenish pus. His eyes were pleading, tears at the edges.

"Yes?"

"Please, Lady Shinobu, I ask thee... Please, heal my disease! Cleanse me of my sins!" Shinobu tilted her head thoughtfully. The rest of the people near her (at any one time-Shinobu had obviously grown pretty popular) watched with keen interest. Shinobu's healing never got old.

"It is not I who can forgive you... Er, thee. That's God's domain."

"But... Are you not our Messiah?" Shinobu took a deep breath, inside, quite frankly growing tired of having to repeat herself every day.

"No, I am not. I simply have the ability to heal, okay? I'm not a Messiah. Now go and do good. You are healed." With a flash of white energy washing over him, the fellow was indeed restored. He looked at his smooth flesh with shining eyes, and fell to his knees before the blushing Shinobu.

"Lady Shinobu, thank you!"

"Er... Sure," Shinobu said, uncertainly. While she'd certainly become popular in this town since moving in and offering her services as a healer, no one had become quite so... Reverent towards her. Naturally, a number of people had thought her an angel from Heaven, but still…

The happy man ran off, singing something along the lines of "Joy to the world, Shinobu's come..." The azure haired goddess blinked, before gathering up her rather worn blue cloak and walking off. As usual, a gaggle of admirers appeared, talking excitedly, but Shinobu waved them off politely as she continued.

She'd walked to a secluded grove of trees, before coming to a simple campsite, with fire, tent, and a table with assorted gadgets, items, and clothing stacked messily all over it. Shinobu couldn't help but smile: Suu had insisted, when they came here, that she would take care of the "housekeeping".

"Well, she asked for it," She murmured softly, pulling out a tea kettle, filling it with water from a nearby spring, and conjuring a few tea leaves with a wave of her hand. She had the kettle whistling quite happily after a few minutes, but before she could release it from the flames...

"SHINOBU-CHAN!" Bellowed Kaolla Suu, causing Shinobu to fall over into their "storage" table with a CRASH. Shinobu sighed dejectedly. She'd had to get used to this, ever since she and Suu had gone into the West together, while everyone else...

Shinobu took a deep breath to keep the tears from surfacing, slowly stood up, brushed her heavily re-knitted cloak free of dirt, and looked up at the beaming Mol-Mol princess.

"Yes, Suu?"

"Come on, I want to show you something! Come on!" Suu grabbed Shinobu's arm and began to drag the bemused domestic goddess along, rushing into the woods. Suu took several sharp turns, so quickly that Shinobu wasn't exactly sure if the Indian-like girl knew where she was going.

Then again, Shinobu reminded herself as she deftly used a Light shield to protect herself from a low hanging branch, Suu did have powers of the Earth. Mostly, they involved metals, and bringing them up to the surface so Suu could build more of her amazing inventions the people of Colorado Springs were starting to break in. But, Suu could probably do much more.

Shinobu was knocked out of her internal musings by Suu's coming to a shattering stop. Shinobu managed to keep her balance, before looking up at the large mountain before her. Shinobu looked curiously at Suu, who grinned.par

"C'mon, Shinobu! The good stuff is inside! C'mon!" Shinobu tolerated Suu dragging her along again, until the two came to a large pipe sticking out of the ground. Suu, grinning mischeviously, clambered inside of the great tube and waved her arm for Shinobu to follow.

"Let's go! I want to show you all I've found!" And with that, Suu dropped into the pipe, a "WHEEEEEE!" sounding in her wake. Taking a hesitant look down the passage, Shinobu gulped, before climbing in and sliding down herself.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" Shinobu screamed, falling down at extraordinary speed. The tunnel abruptly jerked upwards, leveling out, and allowing Shinobu to slowly slide to a halt at the end of the pipe. She got on her hands and knees, and crawled out into a dark, gray hallway. She looked about.

"What took you?" Suu asked, grinning at her like a Cheshire cat from her perch on a pipe above. Shinobu scowled, before holding up her palm.

"Light!" She commanded, and an orb of white energy formed, caged between her fingers. She stood up, and cast the light around herself curiously. The hallway was plain, like a bunker. Of course, Shinobu mused, it probably was.

"This way! Follow Suu!" Kaolla called, leaping to the hard floor and running down the corridor. Shinobu rushed after her, carefully increasing the light her orb produced so she could keep up with the blonde.

Suu took several turns, which Shinobu managed to navigate, before Shinobu stopped short. Her jaw dropped at the sight that greeted her.

"Neat, huh?" Asked Suu excitedly, her exclamation echoing in the cavernous room. It was like Mission Control, with long lines of blue-glowing computer terminals, oriented like pews in a church. Beyond them were four large computer screens, glowing green with wire topographical maps of various mountain ranges, cities, lakes, and plains. They flanked a massive monitor, which displayed a picturesque view of the Earth from space.

"Suu? How did... What is...?"

"It's NORAD, silly! Remember, in _Wargames_? Anyway, I found it when I was looking for tungsten, and got the computers running!" Suu walked up to one of the control stations, typed quickly on it, and the dominant monitor switched views to that of a CGI Earth, with little blue dots dispersed above it. Suu saw Shinobu's confused expression.

"Those are all the satellites the US - And, probably, the rest of the world - have left in orbit. Mostly scientific probes, plus a few military ones." Shinobu walked forward, entranced by the great screen.

"Can you... Can these satellites tell us what happened? You know, the Cataclysm?" Suu tapped her chin thoughtfully, before typing up a few more commands. The screen switched to an image of the Sun, with the date 5-12-04 in green below it.

"They weren't able to figure out what it was, but they did record what happened." The sun flashed brightly, a white sphere expanding from it's surface like a balloon. The image fizzled, crackled, and finally settled for static. This faded into a view of the sun, looking normal. The image flashed, switching to a view of the Earth.

An Earth with a red atmosphere.

"Oh... I remember this," Shinobu said quietly, "how the sky was red for a whole year, then finally became blue again." Suu nodded thoughtfully, the image switching to that of a wire map of the world, atlas style.

"Yes... This satellite also recorded the population of Earth, with a top secret scanning system. The green indicates heavy population, the yellow, moderate population, and red, low population." The continents were given various color codings, the deepest greens in China and Eastern Asia, with Europe a far second.

"Before shockwave," Suu said tonelessly, hitting another button. The greens on the map instantly vanished, mostly reduced to reds, with a few yellows here and there. In a few spots, the areas had become black.

"After," murmured Shinobu, staring at the screen. This was more awful than she could have imagined, than any at the Hinata could have imagined. They'd known that the Cataclysm had done horrible things to Japan, and given them their powers (it was safely assumed, anyway), but the sheer scale of the devastation...

"Mol-Mol?" Asked Shinobu timidly, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. Suu pressed another button, silent, zooming in on the tiny, hidden nation that Suu's family ruled.

It was a dull red, a window popping up and indicating 100% casualties.

"... I'm sorry..." Suu sniffled, before standing up solemnly.

"... It's okay. They in better place now, right?" Suu pleaded, like a child asking for her blanket and reassurance that everything was going to be okay. Shinobu took a deep, calming breath, and gave Suu a comforting hug.par

"Of course they are..."

''

"...So, with all the secret military technology down in Cheyenne Mountain, Lady Suu started building mechas, enhanced weapons, you know, all that kind of stuff," Talon concluded, draining his bottle of water with flourish. Arney watched him, tilting her head.

"Wow... I... I never knew that... About Lady Suu." Talon shrugged, sighing heavily as he considered the bottle before him ruefully.

"It's not something she was keen to talk about in her biographies. Any of them," Talon stated blandly. Arney nodded, staring down at the hard, mahogany desk before her. She then looked up, fixing Talon with a quizzical expression.

"So basically, the goddesses grew into their powers?" Talon nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, it would be better to say that they gradually learned how to manipulate their powers more precisely. They had the raw energy potential, of course, but it wasn't for a long time that Lady Shinobu was able to, for instance, create a Light barrier around her territory. In any event, Suu and Shinobu's people began to prosper." Arney looked at him intensely.

"Er... Well... What were you doing during that time?"

"I thought we were past my part..."

"No, no! Really, please tell me!" Talon rolled his eyes.

"Look, there's not much to it, really! And, some parts..." Talon's pupils darkened at the memory.

"Please?" Arney asked, her eyes slightly larger than usual. Talon blinked.

"Well, I was never able to refuse a pretty girl," he said after a moment's pause, with a crooked grin. Arney rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, don't try to flatter me. Now, more storytelling! Less stalling!"

"Fine, fine! Sheesh... All right, as you know, I was wandering around with Mutsumi. There. Done."

"No, not done!" Arney growled in annoyance. "What did you two DO? I mean, besides the obvious," she added with a wicked smirk. Talon glared at her.

"Miss Arney, I'm warning you..."

"Hey, hey! I was just kidding, really. Look, why don't you just give me an overview?"

"Very well, very well... We wandered up to the North, our first year together, as the summer was approaching and things were getting hot. We'd do this for a while, gradually getting more and more East, until we came to Washington DC."

"What'd you do along the way? There had to be more to it than that..."

"Saw villages, hamlets and ruined cities. Met some demi-gods and goddesses. Most of them were kind of like me: Confused about their powers, trying to figure out what to do with themselves. A few had taken up the title of leader among their people, using their powers (and, in most cases, their wisdom) to rule fairly..." Talon slid to a stop, looking at his desk. Arney took in a slow breath.

"And a couple... Were total nutcases, monsters. They used their powers to terrorize people, become dictators. And... You had to..."

"Kill a number of them, yes," Talon confirmed quietly, gazing into space. He shook his head, banishing some unknown thought.

"Not the proudest moments of my life, but... I…"

"Did what you had to do..." Arney said softly. Talon looked at her, and nodded slowly.

"Yes, indeed. And in **every** case, it was a combination of luck, Mutsumi's help, and desperate ingenuity that allowed me to emerge triumphant. I felt rather like the mongoose versus the snake, to be honest." Talon shook his head.

"But, in any case, those assorted demi-gods I fought weren't the real threat that was building. Narusegawa had set up camp in Denver, barely three hundred miles from Shinobu and Suu's kingdom. She'd made deals with the local gang leaders, taken control of any remaining military technology in the area." Talon's gaze hardened at the space he was staring into.

"But, in any case, they weren't the real threat that was building. Narusegawa had set up camp in Denver, barely three hundred miles from Shinobu and Suu's kingdom. She'd made deals with the local gang leaders, taken control of any remaining military technology in the area." Talon's gaze hardened at the space he was staring into.

"Restarting the nuclear weapons program at Rocky Flats," he murmured grimly. Arney blinked incredulously.

"But, but… I read that Rocky Flats didn't have any nuclear materials left in it by 2002. How could she-?"

"Simple. Not all the nuclear materials had been removed," Talon said cooly, "there still remained enough for Naru to construct a few crude plutonium implosion weapons."

"Like _Fat Man_ over Nagasaki?" Arney questioned. Talon nodded.

"Indeed. Up further north, Haruka had been gathering the remains of the Western US Air Force to her. F-16s, F-15s, F/A-18s-She knew they'd need military firepower, and what better way to accomplish this than by acquiring the most advanced military aircraft in the world?"

"And so, like you said in one of your books, 'The stage was set for a new arms race,' Arney quoted darkly. Talon raised a darkly amused eyebrow at Arney.

"You read that book?"

"Well, sure! I read the whole school library, and the dictionaries, by the time I was ten!" Arney said proudly. Talon chuckled.

"In that case, it's official: You never HAD a life in school." Arney looked scandalized.

"I did too! How can you draw THAT conclusion?!"

"Because I did the same thing at your age, and didn't have a single date until my junior year in high school."

"I wouldn't count that as not having a life, sir. But in your case…"

"Oh, hush." Arney scratched her chin.

"What I would like to know, is, well…"

"Yes?"

"Emperor Kebinu, actually," Arney answered quietly, running a hand through her long dark locks.

"What about him, specifically?"

"All I've read about him is that he was a brilliant general and powerful fire mage, who led Naru's armies before and after the Great Continental Shift of 2039. He later became Naru's Head of Security during the Dual Empress period, before being transferred as Secretary of the Army just before Naru took over. He later became responsible, as Imperial Ambassador, for the mass exterminations of thousands of people during the purges of the 2300s. Finally, he became Emperor, ruling beside Naru until her downfall." Talon whistled.

"Not bad research. My compliments."

"And," continued Arney brightly, "he was described as your rival. The only demigod who was your equal in cunning and hand-to-hand combat." Talon fidgeted.

"I'm not entirely sure about _that_…"

"But… What I want to know is… What was he like, before the Cataclysm, and before he joined Naru?" Talon smiled like a fox. Arney raised an eyebrow.

"Sir?"

"Well, what can I say? Maybe the reason we're compared and contrasted so much in the history books, is because we started the Post-Cataclysm Era very much the same…"

"After him, can we talk about your brother, the Prophet Ben? I'm really interested in him, too, and I was hoping-"

"For crying out loud, Ms. Arney! Do you stop to _breathe?_"

''

****

Praise the Lord for writer's block smashers!

NEXT CHAPTER: The Story of Sir Kebinu… only there's no Holy Grail. There IS an adorable white Labrador retriever, though, with a heaping helping of drama! Courtesy of (you guessed it) Kebinu!


	4. Kebinu's Interlude

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 4

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

(A/N: The background of Kevin Hanson (a.k.a. Kebinu) was written entirely by… You guessed it, Kebinu ^_^. He's one of the best writers I know, and this only adds to my claim.

Roll em…)

***~''~***

Kevin Hanson stretched his sore neck, glancing around the room of his ground-floor apartment. Looking up from his bass guitar, which he'd been absently noodling on, he glanced at the clock. It was almost noon; nearly time to depart for his next class at the university.

"Two more days," the fifth-year senior murmured to himself, as he slowly rose to shut his amplifier off. Two more days of classes, and he'd graduate and be done with school forever.

It was Wednesday, May 12, 2004.

Stumbling over to his nightstand, where he'd left his electric razor, he set to shaving, glancing at the cards that'd been mailed to him by his family for his twenty-third birthday two weeks prior, smiling slightly at the messages written on them. _We love you. We're so proud of you. Love, Mom. Love, Dad._

"I wonder how long it'll take me to pay off all that money they loaned me," he mumbled once again with a smile, finishing his daily battle with stubble and setting the razor down, pondering how he should spend his last few precious minutes of freedom. Feeling a little music was in order, he went to his computer to fire up an MP3 or two.

As he laid his hand on the mouse of the PC, three things happened within about half a second.

First, a brilliant white light came through the open window of the apartment.

Second, the power went out.

Thirdly, the plate glass of the window shattered into fragments and exploded into the apartment with a torrential, tornado-force blast of wind. Luckily, Kevin had opened the screen, so his face was out of the way of the shards of glass that hurled into his room at barely subsonic speeds. However, that was cold comfort inasmuch as before he even realized what happened he was lifted into the air and flung roughly five feet straight into his heavy wooden door. It was lucky he didn't fly into the door from farther away, as he didn't build up enough momentum to break any bones from the impact; but once again, luck is a relative term, and the strike on the door was more than enough to send searing pain through his body, along with knocking the door clean off its hinges and sending the both of them sailing out into the hall. As he and the door collided with the far wall of the hallway, he let out a gasp as the air was knocked out of his lungs and crumpled to the ground, curling into the fetal position and desperately gasping for breath.

It was an indeterminate amount of time before his head stopped spinning, probably ten or fifteen minutes. Slowly lifting his eyes from the floor, he groped around for his glasses, which had apparently been knocked off his head by the violent impact. Finding them and placing him over his eyes, he was startled to find them almost opaque from being covered with dust. He quickly blew them off and went to wipe them on his shirt—at which point he noticed it, too, was covered with dust.

Shaking himself off and wiping with the inside of his shirt, he replaced his glasses and for the first time saw the damage. Loose timbers, pieces of metal and glass, tiny chunks of plaster—all littered the floor of the hallway. It looked like the building had been hit with a wrecking ball. Ignoring the aching in his shoulders and back, he ran down the hallway to get outside. Instinct told him a partially destroyed apartment complex was not the safest place to be.

When he reached the front door, he went to open it—and stopped dead. No point in trying to open a door that was sitting on the sidewalk some fifty feet away, its metal frame mangled and plate glass shattered. He glanced around at the area. The south-central part of St. Cloud, Minnesota, was a residential area built around the university campus located on the western bank of the Mississippi river, and populated mostly by college students. Considered a historic neighborhood and boasting large, brown street signs that said so in so many words, the area was littered with apartment buildings, old brick houses that dated to the late 1800s, and fraternities and sororities.

"Littered" being a particularly appropriate word, because at the moment the area more resembled a landfill. Lengths of vinyl siding from a nearby apartment building protruded from the asphalt of the street, which they had been driven into like gigantic spears. An old yellow-brick sorority house kiddy-corner from that building had been leveled into a pile of junk more closely matching a demolished Lego building. All down the street, cars that had been parallel-parked were flipped over, crushed into steel pancakes or driven through houses. One Volkswagen Beetle was folded around a low branch of a large oak tree.

Further down the road, the campus of St. Cloud State university was clearly visible three blocks away, thanks to the flattening of every single house and tree that could obstruct the view. The top half of the thirteen-story Sherburne dormitory—the tallest building between the Twin Cities and Fargo, some residents bragged—was cloven clean off, the remaining structure sticking into the air with flames and smoke drifting from the top like a giant, red brick chimney. Most of the other buildings were in ruins.

"What… the… hell…"

Forcing himself to breathe deeply, Kevin continued to look around—and then for the first time the smell hit him. Decay. Blood. For the first time he noticed the corpses. Dozens of them, strewn across the streets, some of them missing legs, or arms, or heads, or all of the above. Some contorted in ridiculous positions. Dust clogged the air, a haze penetrated only by blinding beams of sunlight. The sun caught Kevin's attention as he looked up, and his eyes widened.

The sky was blood red, the sun cleaving through the haze, shining a brilliant white. It was like standing on the planet Mars.

Mentally, the shock of everything had not sunk in quite yet, but he could already feel the reaction from his body: he was sick to his stomach. Knowing he couldn't hold it in, he sunk to his knees again and suffered through a painful bout of dry heaves. Even after his stomach had nothing more to void, it continued to twist in on itself, leaving him coughing violently. Amid the pain, one worrisome thought tugged at his mind.

"It's like… something out of _The Day After_," he groaned aloud, speaking only to make sure he wasn't losing his mind. "Were… were we nuked?"

Slowly pulling himself to his feet, already starting to feel the protests of what were sure to become bruises in his back, he made his way back into the building. Too confused to feel sad, or even angry, he was seized with a single thought, a single desire: _Find out what the hell happened_. Walking back into his apartment, he reached for his cell phone and dialed his mother's work number. He had to let her know he was alive.

No dial tone.

"Well, hell," he mumbled in frustration, dropping the useless phone to the floor. He glanced around his apartment and heard a loud, creaking noise as he did so—it sounded like the building settling. Suddenly consumed with a sense of urgency, he looked around quickly and snatched a few possessions—his shaving kit, his pillow, some drinks from his refrigerator, knowing that without power they'd go warm quickly—and started stuffing them into a pair of paper grocery bags.

"I always knew these would come in handy sooner or later. Everybody laughs at pack rats until an ICBM falls on their neighborhood," he remarked with a slightly ironic smile, as he hoisted the bags and clenched onto them tightly as he made his way out of the building once again and circled around to the parking lot. His small black Ford and a few other cars had apparently been shielded by the building from being damaged. He flung the door open and tossed the bags in the back seat, and immediately ran back inside for spare clothes. As he dug through his dresser the sound of snapping timber became audible. Growing alarmed, he decided to abandon his salvage effort and ran out of the building as fast as he could.

Throwing some shirts onto the front seat next to him, he sat down in the car and turned it on. As the engine came to life, a loud blast of static assaulted his ears, courtesy of the car's speakers. Remembering that the first thing people on the news said when a natural disaster hit was to check the radio for information, he punched the "Seek" button and watched as the radio ran through the entire FM frequency range without hitting upon a single station. There was only static. A nuclear explosion's electromagnetic pulse could damage any electrical equipment, but only if it was turned on at the time, and only in the immediate area. Whatever happened, happened almost half an hour ago. More importantly, there was no mushroom cloud, no heat, no radiation—his hair still being on his head was a testament to that.

"This… no, it couldn't have been a nuke," he said quietly to himself, his sore throat making it hard to talk above a murmur. "This is bigger. Way bigger."

He couldn't resist reaching down to pinch his arm, and let out a quiet curse of disappointment upon discovering, courtesy of a minor self-inflicted injury, that he was definitely not dreaming. Sighing, he put the Tempo in gear. Determined not to dwell on what was going on, he set himself to a task: get back to the Cities. Get back home. Find out whether his family was still alive. The rest of the world could wait.

As he pulled out of the alley into the street, he heard a loud creaking noise and glanced back just in time to see the apartment complex cave in on itself, settling into a heap of timber and vinyl, raising a cloud of dust and sending out a blast of air that shot through the open windows of the car and blew his long brown hair, which had come untied, off his forehead.

"There goes four years of my life…" he groaned, leaning his head on the steering wheel. "Well, somebody said to be happy you have to get rid of your worldly possessions. I guess I'm gonna find out if it's true…"

***~''~***

The Tempo's speed topped out at 85 miles per hour, and it was 82 miles from St. Cloud to Stillwater. Knowing full well it would take at least an hour to reach his parents' house, Kevin intended to spend as much time at top speed as possible. He doubted the police would notice—if there were police left _to _notice. From the very beginning, however, his path was obscured. Getting out of the deserted, destroyed city was a twenty-five minute ordeal; debris littered the wrecked streets and seemingly whenever upturned cars and tree branches weren't there to frustrate his efforts, uprooted pavement was.

According to the car clock, it was 1:00 PM under a red sky by the time he finally arrived at Interstate 94. Heading eastbound on the highway, he began for the first time to encounter other living people. They were mostly alone, or in pairs, wandering down the highway, perhaps a dozen all together. Most of them didn't even look up as he passed by, and he didn't dare to stop. One side of him chastised himself for driving past them without a second glance, but another side rationalized it; there was no way he could help them when he didn't even know what the hell was going on. 

Midweek traffic was mercifully light so the highway was mostly free of debris, but at one point near Monticello a livestock truck blocked his path; the massive 18-wheeler hadn't flipped, but had oriented itself straight across both lanes of the freeway, rendering it impassable. A streak of black rubber skid marks behind the truck denoted what looked like a rapid stop; as he slowed to approach the tractor-trailer, he saw that its windows were shattered and the body of what appeared to be its driver lying motionless in the grassy median, a red streak running across the grass for some ten feet behind the body.

Wincing, he turned his attention to the trailer itself. The motor of the truck was still running, and an audible mooing sound came from the half-open trailer to the rear. Cattle, he reasoned, stranded inside the trailer. Climbing out of his car, he walked up to the rig and hopped into the front seat, putting it in gear and letting it roll on idle onto the median and out of his way. As he hopped back down from the cab, he felt a twinge of responsibility, or maybe guilt, inside him, and absent-mindedly paced to the back of the trailer, reaching up to undo the steel latches holding the door closed. Pushing the doors open despite his sore shoulders, he came face to face with a dozen cows, staring at him uncomprehendingly. For a moment he felt pity for these creatures, raised by humans not to know anything or understand anything.

At the moment, however, he was just as helpless as they were.

"Go on out," he called to them over his shoulder as he walked back to the car. "No one's going to eat you now. Maybe no one's _left_ to eat you."

Following the interstate south and east back towards the Twin Cities, he encountered a few more people and noticed three cars on the other side of the highway, headed westbound for some unknown destination. Seeing Minneapolis—or what was left of it—should have been a brutal shock, but by this time he was numb to the devastation, and he wouldn't have stopped even if he wasn't. 

The going was slow through the city; destroyed and burning cars clogged the concrete road, and he had to use all four lanes just to keep heading east. From what he saw from the freeway, the Minneapolis skyline had been leveled as though a gigantic foot had mashed the skyscrapers into the ground; the huge Metrodome stadium had been stripped of its Teflon roof, leaving only the hulking gray superstructure behind. A city of three hundred and eighty thousand, wiped off the map. As he passed under overpasses and over the Mississippi river, he noticed people in small groups of around ten each making their way into downtown. People with weapons.

__

The National Guard…? He wondered to himself. No, probably gangs. When there's a power vacuum and disorder reigns, the first thing to happen is looting.

He knew the way now, and the obstacles were gradually overcome; the clock in the car read 3:30 PM by the time he pulled into the driveway of a rural home outside Stillwater. He was barely able to get the car off the street, as a trio of pine trees had toppled across the driveway and blocked him. He went to hit the remote opener for the garage door, and frowned in frustration when it didn't respond.

In a moment he remembered; there was no electricity.

Climbing from the car, he stumbled up the driveway to the house. From the front, it appeared to be relatively intact. The windows were shattered and glass littered the driveway in front of the house, but otherwise it was in one piece and structurally sound. Making his way around the house to the front door, he noticed that the yard had not been so lucky. The family swimming pool in the back yard sported an upside-down birch tree, roots and all, sticking up out of the middle of the pool like some kind of grotesque ornament. The gray-painted back deck was torn off the side of the house and resting on its side on the ground. It looked like the destruction had clipped the back yard but missed the house.

Unlocking the door and stepping inside, the house seemed the same as it ever was, though no lights were on and all the digital clocks were dead.

"Mom!" Kevin called out, raising his voice for the first time after medicating his throat with several cans of soda during the drive. "Mom, are you here? Is anyone here?"

For a moment, there was silence. He'd been hoping against reason that his mother would have left the school where she taught to come home immediately, but it was laid bare as folly now. Of course, even if she had survived whatever happened, she would have stayed at her school to take care of her students. Kathy Hanson was just that kind of woman.

He was snapped from his rumination as a high-pitched, somewhat shrill noise came from the bottom of the stairs in front of him, catching his attention. His eyebrows rose in recognition of the cry.

"Ellie… Ellie! Hang on girl, I'll be right down."

Bounding down the stairs to the basement, he broke through the family room and turned the corner in time to see a wire-frame kennel, and one very frightened-looking three year old white Labrador retriever, pawing desperately at the door and thumping her tail. Quickly opening the kennel's door, he sunk to his knees as the family dog leapt out of her cage and jumped on him, wagging her tail and nuzzling her face into his chest.

"Ellie…" he said softly to the dog, overwhelmed with emotion after the numbness he'd spent the past few hours in. He let himself sink to the ground in momentary exhaustion, as she gently licked at his face. Ellie at least was safe. He wasn't alone. There was hope.

"Heh heh… sorry girl, it's about time for you to eat your dinner, isn't it?" he laughed softly, scratching the Lab behind her ears. "I bet you're wondering what the heck went on… well, so am I, baby, so am I." He paused momentarily and contemplated just how stupid that would have sounded if anyone was there to hear him, and slowly climbed back up to his feet, turning to go find the dog food. Apocalypse or not, everyone had to eat.

After Ellie had eaten her fill of dog food, he made his way into the garage and threw the door open manually, climbing into one of his parents' unused Explorers and taking the dog with him, as he was unwilling to risk leaving her at home and coming back to find the place having collapsed on top of her. Starting the truck up and backing out, he set out westward for White Bear Lake; if his mother was alive, that would be where she was.

The trip took him past the places where he'd grown up, played with friends, gone to school; most of it was debris now. The five-mile-wide body of water that gave White Bear Lake its name was as still and smooth as glass; the wind had stopped dead, and the sun still hung burning in the red afternoon sky. In half an hour he had reached the western side of what was once a city of twenty five thousand.

For four hours he tooled the deserted streets of the ghost city on the lake, a time period in which he encountered twenty people. This time, he stopped. This time, he talked. Frantically, he queried each person about if they had seen her; each time he gave the same description, and each time he received a sad shake of the head. Each time he had to give the same response when the other person asked for some news of their loved ones. Each time he parted with someone, he offered the same advice: find a house that's still in one piece, find something you can keep food cold in, and stay inside at night. It was common sense and nothing more at this point, but he didn't want to feel useless. He drove by every school he could find, but every one was either demolished or deserted.

After the fruitless search, he drove back out east, back to his house. He hadn't found his mother, and his father had been down south in Missouri on business. It seemed unlikely he'd ever see them again. His brother by all accounts should have been in school in Mankato, but if that far-flung city to the south had suffered the same fate as everything else he'd seen the odds of finding him alive were astronomically bad. For the moment, he decided, he would just go home and figure out how to stay alive. Decisions on what to do could wait until later.

***~''~***

"Later" stretched out into weeks, and eventually months. By day, he made the journey by car from the house to find supplies, occasionally running into other scavengers in the process. The entire affair was bizarre; two or three people gathered at a store to loot it for all it was worth, talking and chatting casually with each other, as though nothing had ever happened. A terse greeting would be made, he would ask where the others came from, they would respond in kind, and they would all go about finding the things they needed. It was a bizarre kind of civility under equally bizarre circumstances.

That civility did not last long, however. After two or three weeks the gangs began to appear. Most would carry crude weapons, though some possessed firearms; at first they roved the streets by foot, then pickup trucks with armed men riding in the back would appear, driving up and down the roads, looking for food, shelter, new members, sometimes just for a fight. It was like something you would expect from a war-torn third-world country; now, however, there might not be any real difference between "first" and "third" world any more.

He'd taken all the ice he could from local stores to keep food cold, but he was running out of supplies as it was, and soon the stores would be out of ice as well. Without a stove to cook, there wasn't much to eat either. He'd made ten more fruitless trips over to White Bear Lake in the first month, and didn't dare to any more after that for fear of the gangs. After the sun went down, he was paralyzed with fear and got little sleep, for dread that looters would attack the house (and him) while he slept. He had a flashlight for a few days, but the battery soon went dead.

So this particular sweltering late summer evening Kevin paced the floor of his house while Ellie munched on a rawhide bone contentedly on the floor, knowing he had to decide what to do but gradually becoming aware that thinking of things to do was doing nothing but giving him one damn painful headache. There were too many variables. Where could he go to be safe? How would he have any clue where that was? _Was_ there even a single safe place left any more? Had whatever this was, happened all across the country? All across the world?

Finally he sat down next to the dog and ruffled her fur, sighing. Lucky her, not being smart enough to understand what had happened.

"Ellie," he grumbled, "I've the strangest feeling we're not in Minnesota any more."

The dog paused momentarily in her chewing to glance at him, then resumed her repetitive munching on the rawhide. She was hard to see in the late evening light with no flashlight. Belatedly remembering his parents had kept some emergency lights, Kevin stood up and paced over to the hall closet and pulled out some candles to brighten the darkening house. He wouldn't be caught off guard if he kept the place lit; maybe, just maybe he could get a good night's sleep tonight. Methodically, he stationed one candle in the living room, one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, one in his bedroom, two in the basement. He finally allowed himself a grin as he set the last one, feeling pretty pleased with his disaster management.

"Oh, wait… matches…"

Twenty minutes later, he sank to the ground, defeated. Not a single match to be found . The house was even darker than before, and if there were any matches there was no way he could find them now. Without light, he couldn't keep track of Ellie, or keep himself from wandering into doors or walls, or keep people from breaking in. He was cursed to spend another helpless night.

Sighing in exasperation, he clung to one unlit candle in his right hand, rubbing the wick with his left. "Damn, I really am useless after all," he muttered angrily, waving his fingers in front of the unlit wick. "I can't figure out what to do, I can't find Mom, I can't even light a stupid…"

Light suddenly flared in the dark room.

"…fire…"

Kevin's words trailed off as he stared wide-eyed at the candle in front of him, now burning brightly. A few feet away, Ellie paused momentarily to glance at the flickering light, before resuming chewing on her toy bone. He could feel his fingers starting to tremble in confusion, and quickly set the candle in a stand lest he drop it and set the house on fire.

"What the hell… just happened?" he mumbled, staring down at his hands. "Was that spontaneous combustion? Or… did… I…"

He turned to a second unlit candle. Rather than take the conventional route of holding it in the first candle's flame, he held the candle in his right hand, his left hand outstretched towards the wick, and spoke softly:

"Fire."

The candle abruptly sprouted a small, warm flame, and this time he could have sworn he saw the tips of his fingers glow just a little bit. His excitement and curiosity growing with each second, he ran downstairs to find more candles. This time instead of speaking the word "fire", he shouted it mentally. And again and again, the candles sprang to life, each time more energetically than before. Soon the house flickered with candle light.

He was feeling a rush now; like a little kid, he bounded around the house. He didn't know what had given him this ability, and at the moment he didn't really care. It was like something out of a movie.

"This is so damn _cool_!" he shouted, pumping his fists, as Ellie stood up and watched in confusion, wagging her tail uncertainly. Somehow, for the first time since that awful day, he had a feeling things were going to be all right. If somebody expected him to live through some post-apocalyptic hell on earth, the _least_ they could do was give him some wicked magical power. Oh sure, there was the possible 'rejection by humanity' angle, but at the moment the only one who knew about the power was Ellie, and they call dogs "man's best friend" for a reason.

As fast as the discovery was made, questions poured into his mind. Were there other people with powers like this? How many? Where could he find them? Where did the power come from? What did it all mean? He had to have an answer to the questions, and it wouldn't come to him sitting around the house watching the sun trace shadows on the floor. Anyway, it wouldn't be long before the weather started getting cold again, and with no fireplace in the house he would freeze. He had to leave.

Energized, everything started coming together. By candlelight he poured ice into three coolers and stocked them with everything he could grab from the house's refrigerator. By candlelight he fetched a suitcase from the basement and filled it with clothes and blankets. By candlelight he carried it all out into the Explorer and dumped it in the back. 

The second surprise came shortly after, when he went back in to grab Ellie's food and carry it to the truck. Placing both hands on the fifty-pound bag of dog food, he gave a mighty tug to get it off the ground—and involuntarily screamed "Shit!" when the heavy sack sprang off the ground like he was lifting a sandwich in a Baggie. Letting go with one hand, he raised the bag up on a level with his head, staring wide-eyed at it. A quick shake confirmed there was definitely still some forty pounds of dog food in that paper bag, yet it felt like nothing. A wiry guy who'd never even attempted a bench press in his life suddenly hoisting forty pounds like it was thin air?

After tossing the bag into the truck and taping it shut, he made his way back into the house. Sitting down at the table in the dining room, he took an unused notebook and pencil he'd found in his old room and began to write. If his luck had truly taken a turn for the better, then someday his mother would find the message he was scrawling tonight.

He did his best to keep the note simple; once upon a time he'd wanted to be a writer, and the temptation of letting flowery prose creep into his writing was hard to fight. But fight it he did, and in twenty minutes the note was complete. He set it on the table and anchored it with a drinking glass taken from the cupboard.

__

"Dear Mom:

If you're reading this, then you survived whatever it was that happened. I hope you're doing all right. As you can imagine, my classes were kind of cancelled, so I came home. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. In fact I might be better than I was before, in ways I never expected. I hoped I would be able to find you here, but it looks like it didn't happen. I want to stay and keep looking for you, but I can't do that. I need to leave. I wish I could explain why, I just feel… different now.

I don't know exactly where I'm going. I'll probably head to Mankato first to try and find Jeff, but after that, who knows? I don't care and it doesn't bother me, so don't worry. If a minor thing like the end of the world couldn't do me in, there's nothing that will. (And don't worry about Ellie, I took her with me!) 

Thank you for always believing in me. I promise no matter what I end up doing, I'm going to give you and Dad a reason to be proud of me. There's a lot I wish I had a chance to say to you both, but I just hope you know I love you both very much and I'll miss you. And don't worry, however long it takes, I AM going to get that degree!

Love, Kevin

August 29, 2004"

In the end, the letter was probably more for his own peace of mind than anything, since surely if his parents were alive they would have found him by now. Satisfied with his work, he snuffed the candles with his hands, experiencing no pain from doing so, made his way to his old room, and laid down to sleep in his old bed, maybe for the last time ever.

***~''~***

When morning came, he found his usual sluggishness replaced by an urge to get moving. He rolled out of bed to see the room already bright with sunshine, and trotted out into the living room to find Ellie lying on the floor, looking up at him.

"Ready, girl?" he said softly, feeling far more invigorated than he should have, concerning the circumstances. The dog thumped her tail in response, and that was all the confirmation he needed.

After a quick trip outside so boy and dog could relieve themselves, he took Ellie down to the garage, and both boarded the S.U.V. He maneuvered the Explorer down the driveway past the silent and long-unused Tempo and the fallen trees, glanced back one final time at the house, and turned out onto the road. A few minutes later he stopped at a deserted service station, chuckling to himself as he helped himself to free gasoline.

"Heh, a fire user better be careful around stuff like this," he snickered as he topped the tank off. "Here I was always wanting a little car because gas was so expensive… fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony," he muttered, glancing up once again at the sun high in the pink morning sky. Climbing back into the truck, he made his way out onto the highways back into the Twin Cities, bound for Interstate 35 and a route to the south. Maybe Mankato would be just like St. Cloud. Maybe all of America would be too. Oh well. Somehow, it would all work out.

"Well, girl," Kevin called to Ellie, who like any good dog had her head out the open window and her tongue flapping in the breeze, "We can stay in Mankato for a while and look for Jeff, but then I suppose we'll need some place to head to for the winter. I'd say Florida, but that's so cliché. Any thoughts?"

Naturally, there was no reply.

"Maybe I really am losing my mind," he sighed, shrugging. "At least we won't argue much. Well, I've always wanted to live up in the mountains, myself… how about Colorado?"

***~''~***

****

Can you say, "foreshadowing?" ^_^ I decided to take a quick break from the narrative style of writing, out of respect to Kebinu (and future contributors like him). 

NEXT CHAPTER: Talon relates how the Aftershock of the Cataclysm came and went-But the war for Earth continued…


	5. Lance's Interlude

Bonds of Time 

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: **Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.**

Therefore… 

(This interlude was written entirely by Lance Waymire, aka NachoManLance. This is just a brief break from the Kebinu Saga. Don't worry, Kebinu, your contribution will be uploaded soon!

  
In the meantime, anyone who wishes to write an interlude like this is more than welcome to. However, the time setting must be twelve years after the Cataclysm. You can do a flashback to how you started in the Catalcysm, but that' all. Writing how you meet one of the Goddesses (or another character of Love Hina) is preferable. Thank you.)

Roll 'em. ^_^ 

***~''~***

_"May 12, 2003_

_Dear Mom,_

_Well, I can't say that camp is all that fun. In fact it's very boring and quiet here. Still, just a couple more days and I'm just an hour drive from home and freedom._

_How's everyone else? From the last letter I got from Dad, Melanie got a lead role in her class play. Be sure to tell her my congratulations. And he also wrote that Billy would be staying over for a few weeks. I can't wait to see him when I get back, it's been too long! Hopefully he has a few souvenirs from San Francisco for me._

_Well I gotta go, they want me to start getting ready for dinner. Tell everyone I said hi!_

_Love,_

_Lance."_

The fourteen-year-old boy put the letter in an envelope, licked it shut, and put on the stamp. In his small cabin fitting four in a remote camp just beyond the mountains in San Diego, CA, he squished his way through backpacks and sleeping bags until he found his way out. He stuck the envelope inside the mail carrier just outside the cabin door, and walked down the short steps and toward the mess hall.

Lance Waymire found it hard to realize why he had been sent to here in the first place, even when his own mother refused to let him go. Stupid high school, their policies are really screwed up. At heart all Lance wanted was some peace, quiet, and the thing he wanted most: family. It was too bad none of them were there now, only three hundred kids and a handful of exhausted camp staff.

After a five-minute peaceful walk, he arrived at the mess hall, which thrived with activity. when he first stepped into the large building he felt a wave of cool air, which relaxed him from the humid outside. He sat at a far table next to his lifelong friend, Travis.

"Why ar' oo' ate'?" he said, mouth full of mashed potato.

Travis has been with Lance ever since kindergarten, back in the days when you could take naps after lunch. Now they spend much of their time together, and were well known to others as the 'inseparable' guys. They also had the feeling they shared the same wavelength, given their same opinion to everything. Camp, for instance. Neither of them like it.

"I was sending a letter to my folks and lost track of time." Lance simply stated, scooting in.

Travis chuckled and swallowed his food, "You sent a letter to your mom?"

Lance shot him a fearful glare. "You should know her by now, if she doesn't get one word out of me while I'm out, she'll totally freak."

"All right, all right..." Travis laughed again, "Still, you can't help but think of it as pathetic for her to worry so much."

"I guess you're right about that. If there was one-"

Suddenly the whole building flashed a brilliant white, and the building shook and rattled until a huge explosion took place.

BOOM!

Lance was sent flying into the air like a paper plane, and landed hard on his back against a tree. He slumped to the ground and cried in pain. The white light was long gone, but it still left him temporarily blinded for a good while. He felt the rush of wind fly against his face, forcing him into the tree and left him motionless with the amount of pressure added. The sound was near deafening, and he struggled to remain on the ground. Finally the earth stopped shaking, the sound was gone, and all that remained conscious was Lance.

Ten minutes passed before he could pull himself up from the ground. Rubbing his eyes he finally caught the look of hat surrounded him.

He wish he hadn't.

Strewn around the clearing were splinters of wood and debris of what was the mess hall. Small bushes and trees were on fire, and many bodies were lying motionless on the ground. Lance grew a sudden sickness and fear inside him, unable to breath. Some of these people he knew for a long time. More like friends than anything.

Lance couldn't hold the sick feeling inside him. He fell to his knees and vomited, praying to God that this was only a nightmare. He stood took another look around him. Surely this wasn't a nightmare, his head was throbbing in pain and dizziness.

He regained full vision and began to walk toward the center of the clearing, dodging body parts and debris. He cried as he walked, looking at the scared and blank faces of people he once knew. The whole clearing seemed like a giant landfill, full of trash an pieces of once whole things. He needed to find Travis. If there was one person he cared for more, it was him.

He stood at the area where the table once was where he sat at only moments before. He looked around desperately for any sign of him. He searched through the rubble around the area, only to find nothing.

Lance was just about to give up all hope, when he heard a soft cough.

"Travis...TRAVIS!?!?"

"Lance...is that you?"

Lance turned around sharply and faced a completely bent tree. Just at the crack, five feet above him, sat Travis with a look of pure relief spread across his face.

Lance too was glad. "You're alive, I don't believe it!"

"Just help me down there, I think I broke my wrist."

Lance helped Travis down from the tree and soon they were both wandering the camp grounds in search for any life. They stopped in front of the staff cabin, which had barely stood.

"What the hell happened here?" Travis said in a blank tone.

"I don't know. But we have to get out of here, there's nothing left for us here." replied Lance. He pointed toward the staff building. "Look, there's a couple of bikes that look like they're fine."

Travis nodded, "First I have to call my parents, to see if they're all right."

They both walked inside the building, being careful not to trip over the broken glass and wood that scattered the floor. Travis picked up the phone nearby - only to find the line completely dead.

"This is great," said Travis, dropping the phone, "There's no way we can call for help. How're we going to get all the way back home?"

"The bikes," said Lance, "We need to stock up on supplies and put a splint on your wrist, then we'll ride out."

Travis nodded in agreement, and searched the building. Lance found two backpacks that were still together, and put in as much snacks and soda that the refrigerator had to offer. Travis found the first aide kit and began wrapping his wrist with bandages, with the help of Lance. Finally they hopped onto the only working bikes and pedaled down the dirt road leading out of the camp.

***~''~***

After a frustrating three hours of bike riding, they finally made it to the outskirts of El Cajon, in San Diego County.

It was in worse condition than the camp.

Besides the rubble and debris from the buildings, bodies of what once held 200,000 citizens strewn across the city as far as the eye could see. Lance and Travis knew some of these people from childhood. Their coming was grievous and they regretting stepping foot into such hell.

"We have to find our parents!" Travis exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes.

"We'll go to your house first," said Lance, "We can't get separated now."

They tore down Main Street and turned on Chambers. All of the houses lined along that street were either flat or half of it was gone. They dodged the debris on the ground and stopped at an apartment building, which was surprisingly still up. They both dropped their bikes and ran as fast as they could.

Thankfully Travis lived in a ground level apartment, so there was no difficulty once they reached the door. Travis flung open the door and peered inside.

No one was there. Not even a body.

Confused, Travis and Lance wandered around the house, looking for any sign of life. The only reliable source they found was a note attached to the refridgerator, and it was written for Travis. Lance grabbed the note and read it aloud:

_"Travis,_

_We're sorry we couldn't pick you up from camp. Your mother and I had an emergency call to Colorado and we left as soon as we could. We won't be gone for too long, and I already called Lance's parents and they have agreed to have you with them during our absence._

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad."_

Travis re-read the note two more times before a reaction finally set in. He had tears in his eyes, but they were tears of hope.

"Maybe they lived after all. Maybe we're not the only ones who lived!"

"Not too fast," said Lance, "We need to go to my house, if my folks are there they should know for sure."

Travis nodded and set down the note. Before leaving he packed some clothes and a first aide kit in the bathroom. Minutes later they walked back outside, only to find their bikes missing.

"They were here just a minute ago!" Lance exclaimed.

"This only proves we're not alone here," said Travis, "But we gotta be careful, these guys won't be so courteous next time."

Fortunately, Lance's house was only a short distance away. They walked down Chambers and turned on Compton. Down Compton they approached a large apartment complex. It too was nearly destroyed, but Lance's apartment home was just propping up, so far able to stand. The two of them ran inside, hoping to find answers.

But there was nothing.

Hoping for the worst, Lance and Travis searched for bodies, but were amazed to find none. Wherever they might be, at least they knew they were alive. But there were two things that were missing. Almost all the food was gone, and the motorcycle that his Dad used to work on was not parked in the garage. Confused they looked for signs of theft. All they found was another note on Lance's bedroom door.

"Another note?" Travis asked. Lance ripped it off the door and read it aloud:

"_Lance_

_I don't know exactly what happened, I don't know why, but either way there's no place for me here. Mom and Dad are dead, Melanie is no where to be found. I buried Mom and Dad outside just past the playground, if you want to go there._

_I know you're alive because,...because for some reason, I can sense your presence. It's like a buzz in my head, and it's telling me that you're alive and so far, well. I took Dad's motorcycle, and I'm heading towards Colorado to find Travis' parents. I would've waited for you, but gangs are on the loose after the disaster, and if I were you I'd get out of there too. Go to Colorado and find me at Colorado Springs. I'll be there waiting, and hopefully with answers._

_Be safe,_

_Billy"_

"Lance...." Travis whispered. But he paid no attention.

Lance dropped the letter, tears flowing down his cheeks. He was almost unable to breath. His parents were dead, and now all he had left was Billy. His older brother was still alive. At least that was comforting news.

"Lance, I'm....sorry."

Lance turned to Travis, and gave him a small yet sad smile. "It's alright, Travis. I'll have to deal with this for a long time."

They both stood silent for a long moment. Finally Lance cleared his throat and spoke clearly. "But like Billy said, we have to get out of here. We have to go to Colorado Springs, and fast."

"But how will we get there? Our bikes are gone and I bet there's no one who would want to drive us all the way to Colorado." Travis protested.

Lance thought about this for a few minutes, unable to reply immediately.

"And what about those gangs? If we stay here, yes we'll die. But it's not like walking 2,000 miles will be a cinch either." Travis continued.

"You're right," said Lance, "But we have to give it a try. Maybe we'll find something to quicken our pace on our way there. But now we just have to worry about getting out of here."

***~''~***

**That's just too damn sad… Anyway.**

NEXT TIME: Kebinu comes to Colorado, and just as quickly is banished…

**R&R!**


	6. Kebinu's Interlude: Rejection From Human

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 6

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

****

Yet another chapter written by the esteemed Kebinu. Maybe I should start calling this part "The Kebinu Saga"?

***~''~***

Early autumn 2015

The massive structure of Denver's international airport hadn't been used regularly in at least a decade. From a distance, the curvaceous, white upper structure of the complex made it appear to be a colossal tent, under which an entire town could sleep comfortably. Up close, an examination of the sprawling, miles-wide grounds located smack in the middle of the Colorado prairie just east of the Rocky Mountains revealed a forest of concourses and jetways, and a small fleet of long-unused airliners, their paint flaking off after years of exposure to the elements, and their silent jet engines filled with debris and birds' nests. Within the airport, the sprawling hallways that had once contained shops and gates had become a makeshift colony. Over five hundred people lived within its confines, relying on the trickle of electrical power still coming from nuclear power plants in the area, eking out their existence and trying to maintain some semblance of civilization. This airport had once been a testament to mankind's technological supremacy and innovation; it had become something else entirely.

For a certain fire user, this place was home.

Kevin had largely given up keeping track of time. After departing home, he had traveled south to Mankato, and spent three months there without locating his brother. With the snows of December he departed his home state and traveled east to Wisconsin, on a tip that someone fitting his brother's profile had been seen headed in that direction. He went as far as Madison before giving up and turning south. 

As it was, he returned to the west. Halfway across Iowa, his car broke down near what used to be Des Moines, and he and Ellie made the rest of the journey on foot. After passing through Missouri and making a brief search for his father, he traveled on to the Great Plains, and across them to the Rocky Mountains. Upon his arrival in Denver, he decided to head to the airport, as it was the one recognizable feature in the city for him, having traveled there once when he was younger. 

Throughout his life, Kevin had a talent for getting himself into ugly situations through pure bad luck. Thus it was that after more than a year of wandering, he managed to arrive in Colorado and walk right into a war zone. It turned out that Denver's airport was no mere dwelling; it had become a fortress. Located strategically on the outskirts of the city along Interstate 70, the airport was prime real estate, and was under near-continual assault by gangs seeking to take control of the facility and make it their own. It was cutthroat human nature at its worst.

He had arrived in the midst of one such attack; as he journeyed along the highway near the airport, a car full of armed men retreating from their attack ambushed him with guns. Taking an unarmed man as an easy mark, they opened fire and then drove off; he was not injured, but Ellie was struck by shrapnel from a bullet in one of her hind legs and wounded. Alarmed, he had picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. Arriving at the airport, he had received the friendly greeting of three men shoving assault rifles in his face, and it was only with some hasty diplomacy that he was able to secure entrance to the airport for the purposes of getting medical care for his dog.

The same night, the gangs had returned en masse, carrying torches to demonstrate their numbers, more than two hundred swarming up the highway towards the complex. The battle resumed, and during it he was ordered by the leaders of the airport colony to assist in the defense. He had never shot a gun before in his life, but nevertheless joined in the terminal defense of the airport to show gratitude to his benefactors. The hope was that he would never have to actually fight.

Naturally, given his luck, that was exactly what it came to. The gang pushed back the defenders with a considerable amount of bloodshed, and in no time at all their forces were knocking on the door—figuratively, of course, as the airport's sliding glass doors were perfectly capable of opening themselves—of the colony. Rumors were swirling among the defenders about the leader of the gang, supposedly a man who was able to kill at will without the use of a weapon. When the attackers arrived to lay siege to the airport, he saw it firsthand. A man who conjured water out of thin air, wielded it like a melee weapon, flung it effortlessly about, manipulating that most crucial of liquids into a razor-sharp instrument of death.

By this time roughly two thirds of the defenders were killed or captured. If things continued on their present course, the airport would fall, the people who had taken him in would be killed, and he would likely die as well. He knew what he had to do.

That night was the first time he used his powers in anger. 

***~''~***

"Open up!" roared the gang leader as he faced a barricaded front entrance, his army swarming around him, weapons at the ready.

No reply came from within the terminal.

"There's nowhere to run, we own this whole area," the leader shouted again, waving his hands to demonstrate his point. "You're surrounded, and if you value your lives you will turn the airport over to us immediately."

"We politely decline!" came a voice from within the barricade. 

A few seconds later, a loud cry of pain followed.

Within the entrance, Kevin rubbed his sore shoulder, glowering angrily at the man who had just punched it. "What the hell was _that_ for?!"

"Your big mouth is going to get us killed, newcomer," growled the man, an older fellow named Jim in his mid-thirties with a beard. "You see that guy out there? He owns half of Denver, and it's not hard to see why… look at him. Have you seen what he does with water? I swear, he's not human. Some kind of monster…"

"…monster?" Kevin repeated quietly, looking down.

"Yeah, a monster. Some crazy things have happened in this world lately, but I've never seen a crazier thing than a guy who can throw water from his hands. It's an abomination of nature—no, maybe a demon…"

"…demon?" Kevin closed his eyes, trying not to let the sting of the man's words get to him.

__

Am I… a demon as well?

"Yeah, a demon. But dammit, even a demon has to have a weakness." With that, the man cocked his rifle and stood up. "All right, everyone," he called to the dozen or so fighters massed around the entrance. "We'll set up a little ambush for them in here. They'll never know what hit them—"

"That's ridiculous, Jim."

The man turned angrily to the brown-haired boy, who had set his gun down and was staring at him ruefully.

"What did you say?"

"First of all, this areas is too open, there's nothing to hide behind. Second, there's far too many of them," Kevin said flatly. "You'll run out of ammunition before they're gone, and anyway, that guy can throw up water so thick it'll stop your bullets before they ever get to him. Your plan is, frankly, suicide."

"What the hell would you know?"

"More than you'd think," Kevin replied, still unwilling to reveal his powers.

"Well, that's the only option, kid," Jim shot back. "If you have a problem with my plan, you can just cower and die when those guys get you—"

His words were drowned out, and very nearly literally drowned, by a torrent of water that struck through the barricade and swept several of the defenders off their feet. Jim braced himself against the deluge, clutched his gun with white knuckles and closed his eyes for the impact—and suddenly realized that rather than feeling water, he was aware of an intense sensation of heat. Opening his eyes, he saw that the water was now being pushed back and to the sides by a line of fire stretching across the entrance, the water colliding with the flames and resulting in geysers of steam which ran towards the ceiling and clung to the glass windows, rendering them nearly opaque.

Kevin stood, silently, left arm outstretched towards the entrance. The older man and the other defenders stared at him, mouths agape.

"You-you're a…"

"A what? A monster? A demon?" the young man called out, never taking his eyes off the entrance. "Gentlemen, how about listening to _my _idea: let me handle this if you want to live. I think it's obvious to all those involved that I'm the only one who stands a chance against them. You said even a demon has a weakness; clearly, that weakness is _me_."

The others watched in utter silence as he dropped his wall of fire and disappeared into the mist.

"Who the hell is that kid, really?" muttered one of the troops.

"Just shut up," Jim snapped. "I don't like it any more than you do, but he's the only thing we've got going for us. We can decide what to do about him later."

Outside, the leader of the gang narrowed his eyes, attempting to penetrate through the mist. Finally he was able to make out a single figure stepping out of the main entrance, unarmed.

"What was that for?" the brown-haired boy called loudly, stopping just outside the doors and taking a very bored-looking stance. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"I'm a busy guy, I don't like to be kept waiting," replied the gang leader. "I assume you're here to negotiate?"

"Correct," the youth said, nodding. "I am here to negotiate… the terms of your surrender."

At that a loud chorus of laughter rose up through the gang, echoing off the concrete walls of the terminal and into the clear night sky. Only the leader was unmoved.

"Excuse me, _boy_, I think you seem to misunderstand the situation," he shouted. "Here are my terms. The airport and everything on and in it belongs to us now, and if you value your life, you have five seconds to accept."

"Duly noted," Kevin replied. 

"Five…"

"I'll have to consider it, of course…"

"Four…"

"The terms don't seem to be overly fair…"

"Three…"

"And by the way…"

"Two…"

"You guys kind of _shot my dog_…"

"One… time's up!"

"All right sir, I'm ready," Kevin said, smiling cheerfully. "On behalf of the residents here, I completely reject your conditions. Have a nice night."

A snarl crossed the leader's face.

"Why you little… kill that little smart-ass!" he roared.

His men brought their guns to bear and trained it on the young man, who made no attempt to flee. As they opened fire, a column of flame sprang up in front of him. They continued to empty their clips into the flames, heedless, and after a few seconds the shooting stopped and the flames dropped as well. The young man still stood there, stock-still, and completely unscathed, with the concrete wall behind him pockmarked with bullet holes—all of them well above his head. Stunned silence hung in the air.

"How did… never mind, I'll do this myself—" shouted the leader a second before he was immolated by a fireball launched from the youth's left hand. As he dropped to the ground, rolling frantically, his powers forgotten in his panic, his men stepped backwards warily. Simultaneously, Kevin stepped forwards, letting an uncharacteristic snarl cross his features as the pupils of his brown eyes glowed with fire.

"Now scram," he said simply—and for good measure he conjured another wave of fire that struck the first row of thugs and set them ablaze, the remainder fleeing as fast as they could, spurred on by the line of human torches behind them screaming in agony.

Kevin sighed and turned around, walking back into the airport terminal. He barely made it five steps before he collapsed to the ground, suddenly aware of an incredible exhaustion and reduced to utter helplessness. He heard and felt footsteps, and soon he was surrounded by those he had been fighting alongside a few minutes before. 

"Are they gone…?" he said weakly.  


"Yeah," came the voice of Jim, even and measured. "About twenty of them are dead, including the leader, and the rest ran off like their asses were… well, on fire."

A small smile crossed Kevin's face. "Well, that's a relief."

"You're something else, pal."

"I guess I am. What that is, I suppose," he whispered, closing his eyes, "Is for you people to decide."

Some kind of conversation was taking place, but he was too tired to try to listen; he simply slipped into peaceful unconsciousness.

***~''~***

He awoke after three days. When he did, he was forced to appear before the leaders, where an arrangement was worked out. There were several among the population that wanted him banished from the airport colony, but cooler heads prevailed, and it was agreed that he could remain at the airport, provided he serve as the colony's guardian. He went out of his way to be polite and helpful with everyone he spoke with, yet in each conversation he could always feel the subtle fear and loathing behind their words and expressions.

So as not to cause trouble or any awkward situations, he and Ellie commandeered an abandoned airliner out on the tarmac and made it their home rather than live in the terminal, and he dealt with the other people only when he needed food or supplies, or something for Ellie. Speaking of Ellie, she recovered from her wound and lived another seven years, but was never quite as energetic or active as she once was. As she became older, she also gradually grew afraid of the other people of the airport; once she had run around with the children, playing on the tarmac and runways; towards the end of her life, however, she rarely left the jet. 

He, on the other hand, remained utterly the same. A decade had passed since he came to Colorado, and he was now more than thirty years old, yet he still looked identical to his appearance on the day the world nearly ended. At first the change perturbed him, but after a while he simply came to accept it. There was little reason to raise a fuss about avoiding aging. Each day he would go about his daily business; at sundown he would climb to the top of the airport superstructure and scan the area, give an all-clear call, and retire for the night.

Whenever a takeover was attempted, he was first in line to fight; and time after time he drove the invading armies back single-handedly. Over the years, the assaults became more and more vicious; but his powers had seemed to increase with time, and the colony never lost a life in its defense.

So it was this sunny prairie morning that he arose from his sleep and stepped down the airstair from the jetliner to find Jim, who had by this time become one of the colony's governors, and a small group of militia and council members.

"What's going on?" Kevin said quietly, rubbing his eyes behind his spectacles.

"Kevin, hurry up and get dressed," Jim said gravely. "You need to go."

"Huh? Go where?" the youth frowned. "Is there an attack coming? Which direction?"

"No, you don't understand," Jim sighed, rubbing his beard, his brown chin hair now flecked with grayness from age. "Pack up and leave. You can no longer live here."

For a second there was silence on the tarmac, broken only by the swirling prairie wind.

"…_excuse_ me?" Kevin said, his voice rising quite without his conscious input. "What are you talking about?"

"We held an emergency council meeting last night in response to several complaints about you, and we decided we want you off the premises immediately," Jim said, folding his arms sternly and scowling at the fire user.

"Complaints?" Kevin responded, incredulous. "From whom? About what? What the hell have I done?"

"It doesn't matter who," Jim replied. "And you haven't done anything, but that's irrelevant. We've come to a conclusion that your being here does more harm than good. Each time someone attempts to take this place over, you've driven the invaders back—and yet, they keep coming, in greater numbers each time. People all across the state are getting word about you. The way things stand, it's only a matter of time until more people with powers like yours start showing up—and that will surely be the death of us all."

"But…"

The older man cut him off. "We don't want any trouble around here; we just want to live in peace. You being here is a destabilizing factor, and we think we'd all be better off if you were to leave. And _never_—" he placed considerable emphasis on the word—"come back."

For a second the fire user was silent.

"I see," he said at last. "If that's your decision…" he started, raising his right hand.

Instantly the militia members raised their rifles and trained them on his heart.

"…I have no choice," he concluded, walking back into the jet and emerging five minutes later with two suitcases. From the top of the airstair he glared down at them, outwardly impassive but seething inside. Betrayal. It ate at him to the core. What the hell had he spent the last decade doing? Protecting assholes whose response to his bleeding for them was to ostracize him?

It would be so easy to burn them all to a crisp. Easy, and satisfying. But like it or not, that wasn't the right thing to do, and he knew he couldn't live with it. So though he could feel his eyes burn with anger and his hands throb with power, he simply stalked down the staircase, staring at his feet, past the colonists and out towards one of the runways.

"What are you doing?" Jim shouted, stepping in front of him.

"…Out of my way. I'm going to say goodbye to my dog." Kevin raised his eyes to look at Jim squarely, and the fire smoldering in them told the older man that the subject was not up for discussion.

With measured footsteps, suddenly feeling lighter, as though he couldn't quite believe it was happening and that he would soon wake up from it, he paced out across the concrete taxiways to the end of the runway, where he had buried Ellie three years ago. The wind caught his hair, which he had not bothered to tie, and tossed it back and forth, flopping in front of his face and obscuring his vision; a solitary figure on the flat land, in the middle of utter silence save for the measured sound of his footsteps on the runway, slowly making his way to the end of the concrete, walking past the dormant approach lights that surrounded the grave of his dog.

"…why…?"

With nothing to reflect or echo it, the single spoken word was absorbed quickly into the blue Colorado sky as he stood motionless in front of the gravesite. The shale headstone that he had trekked to the foothills of the Rockies to retrieve and blasted out of the bedrock with his powers was uprooted and lay flat on the grass, with the carved inscription he had made in the block with fire, a simple _Ellie 2001-2012_, crossed out with a large X and replaced with _demon's dog_, scrawled in chalk.

__

…some kind of monster… abomination of nature… demon…

The words Jim had uttered that night ten years ago suddenly rang in his ears at deafening volume. He slowly sunk to the ground and ran his hands over the spot where Ellie lay entombed, then rose after a moment and stalked back towards the terminal, his footsteps no longer calm and measured, now resonating off the concrete runway surface in loud _clack_s…

He felt something warm growing at the edges of his eyes. He hadn't cried in over a decade, not even when Ellie died, but now felt the tears come full force. Complete, utter rejection. He had no one to turn to now. He was on his own. He shut his eyes and angrily pulled his glasses off to wipe the tears away, replaced the thin metal frames, and opened them once more.

And as the saying goes, if looks could kill…

A few minutes ticked by and he was in front of the airliner once again. Jim emerged from the small crowd of people and walked over to him, holding a set of keys, which he placed in the younger man's right hand.

"There's a car waiting for you out in front of the terminal. Take it, and go wherever you want."

"I understand," Kevin replied softly.

The punch came so fast neither Jim nor any of the other colonists saw it happen; Jim simply sailed through the air and landed on his back on the tarmac's concrete surface, blood leaking from his nose and mouth. Kevin quietly glanced down at the swollen knuckles on his fisted left hand, then up at the other colonists. He heard the clicking sound of guns being brought to bear again, but the militiamen's hands were shaking so badly they could barely aim. 

Without a word, he knelt down and picked up his suitcases. He took a few steps forwards, paused next to Jim and glared down at him with the most venomous gaze he could muster.

"If I were you…" the fire user said quietly, fury straining to break through his voice, "I would hope that we don't meet again."

The older man made no effort to reply, and Kevin never looked back. He ascended through a jetway into the terminal, stalking angrily through the concourse and baggage claim, never stopping to acknowledge anyone or even say goodbye. He was afraid of what he would do if he stopped walking. Every one of them was a potential accuser, a potential betrayer. He had been so stupid to trust in their good faith. They never had any faith in him to begin with…

Finally arriving at the front of the airport, he knelt and threw his suitcases into the car, a sporty-looking coupe, and started it immediately. Without a second thought, he stomped on the gas, hearing nothing but the loud squeal the back tires emitted as he shot down the parking ramps and out onto the interstate.

He had nowhere to go now, no one to help him. No one to protect.

No one to acknowledge his existence.

__

Abomination… demon… monster…

He headed west to the Rockies. A memory from the past registered in his mind, and he made his decision. Whether the town still existed or not, he would go into the mountains, to Breckinridge. He had to get away. From this place, from these memories, from everything.

"Farewell," he said, glancing back over his shoulder at the receding airport. "If no one sees me as anything but a demon, I guess it will be my part to play…"

***~''~***

****

And the saga rolls on.

Next Chapter: NachoManLance's interlude, and some misadventures of Talon and Mutsumi in the Land of Dixie...

As always, if you want to be included in the story, provide a short piece about your character. I allowed Lance and Kebinu to do pieces from the Cataclysm onwards, but that kind of thing will get long-winded after a while. So, the time period in which the latest chapter is set will have to be the setting. Or, you can write about yourselves in the future of the TBOT fic, and I'll put you guys in at a later time.


	7. Lance's Interlude: Hard Acceptance

Bonds of Time 

Chapter 7

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore…

***~''~***

**The continuation of Lance Waymire's interlude! Enjoy!**

***~''~***

"Okay, I know about Lord Kebinu… But, why this detour into Lance Waymire?" Talon nodded, smiling in fond nostalgia.

"One of my good friends, and the future consort of Shinobu Maehara. He was, and still is, brave, loyal, trustworthy, and overall, great. But…"

"Like everyone else after the Cataclysm, he had to start somewhere," Arney said, smirking slightly. Talon rolled his eyes, despite his own sardonic smile.

"You're learning…"

***~''~***

_Fall 2015_

Nothing like the Cataclysm had ever been predicted like this before. Not even the greatest of scientists had known that such a catastrophe could happen and take so many lives with it. It caught every living person totally off-guard.

Most especially to Lance and Travis.

After two days of intense walking, they had managed to leave the city lines of San Diego. From there they managed to make it to Los Angeles, without coming into any trouble with the many gangs that littered the area. They met friendly people along the way, who offered them shelter and food. In Los Angeles they stayed for one full week, until they caught a lift from another citizen who was heading toward Salt Lake City.

Climbing into his truck, the man introduced himself. "Hey guys, my name is Chris." Chris took turns shaking their hands. "I can take you as far as Utah and from there, you might have to find your own way to Colorado Springs."

Lance nodded, and Travis kept a stiff face. Ever since they left from Lance's ruined apartment, Travis had usually kept to himself. Most of the time he was either in deep thought and meditation or he was sleeping and eating. Lance feared that the Travis he knew for his whole life had gone with the many innocents who died.

Of course, this had impacted as much to him as it did to Travis.

After refilling Chris' truck with gas they made their journey north. They rarely stopped for anything, given that the gangs grew more and more vicious the further they got. They would drive during the night, avoiding contact with strangers, and find a spot to hide their truck and catch a few hours of sleep, each taking turns guarding.

They arrived to the California-Nevada border after two days of driving, and there they made a stop at a run-down gas station to fill up the truck.

Lance walked to the shop near the pumps to get some food and drink for the rest of the trip. As soon as he walked in he noticed that everything was off the shelves and barely anything had been left behind. Lance sighed, dodging all the debris that littered the floor, and grabbed all that was left: three two-liter sodas, two bags of Skittles, a bag of chips, and a pack of mints (the ones that come in a metallic container). He pocketed the mints in his shirt pocket, and made for the back room in case there was anything in there.

Just as he did, he heard a loud voice in his head scream "HELP!". Lance turned suddenly, and heard a loud gunshot come from outside. Dropping all he had in his hands he ran out the door and came face-to-face with two men holding pistols. They pointed the pistols at Travis and Lance, their hands shaking. Chris lay on the ground, a puddle of blood beneath him.

"What're you kids doing here, huh?" one man said.

Lance and Travis both raised their hands up, backing away from them. "We're just on our way to Colorado," said Lance, his voice saking, "Just leave and let us go."

"We can't do that, now can we?" said the other guy, "It seems you trespassed onto our turf, and now you'll face the penalty of death!"

He raised his pistol at Lance and pulled the trigger. Lance felt the impact of the bullet and crumbled to the ground. Travis yelled "NO!" and tackled the first guy that was nearest to him. The man dropped his gun as he fell from his weight, and skidded toward Lance's unmoving body. The other man shot at Travis, hitting him in the leg.

At this point you would think that these two teens were done with. But they had something special up their sleeves that backed them up during this fight. Something they never realized they had.

Lance sat up, uninjured and shocked. He felt his hands over his chest where the bullet hit him, but only came across his pack of mints. He took it out of his shirt pocket and found a bullet dented right on it. He wasn't shot or dead after all.

Just luck, he thought.

Angered that Travis had been shot, he grabbed the pistol that had skidded near him and raised it at the man still standing. He never even touched a real gun before, but at this point he didn't really care. He shot him right on the hand, forcing him to drop his gun and step out of the fight. He lowered the gun at the man still sitting on the ground, and fired three shots just inches from him on the ground.

"If you value your friend and your lives, you will leave us alone." he said coldly to him.

The man muttered something incoherent, and stood up. He guided his injured friend into the building and they were never seen again.

Lance dropped the gun and fell to his knees, slightly sobbing. He never wanted to hold that gun, he never wanted to pull the trigger and feel just as those two guys had before they killed Chris and shot Travis. But, for their sake, he had to.

Wiping his eyes he stood and ran to Travis. He was bleeding, but alive. Lance took off his shirt and ripped it into strips, creating one large bandage. He wrapped it around Travis' wound and knotted it up really tight. Travis was concious, but he remained quiet as Lance carried him to the passenger seat of the truck. Lance gave his final respects to Chris, who lay still on the ground, and climbed into the drivers' seat of the truck.

Luckily the truck was an automatic, and Lance had some experience when it came to cars like these. He and his dad used to work on them like it was their pastime.

His dad... his family…

He shoved these thoughts aside, trying not to distract himself. He turned on the steering wheel, turned down the road, and drove off toward Las Vegas, the only populated city close enough to give Travis the medical attention he needed.

***~''~***

"Lance! NOO!!!"

Travis woke with a start. His eyes were wide and his face trickled with sweat as he looked around him. He saw that he was in some sort of tent, and he was covered with a sleeping bag. Clothes and other items were strewn across the ground, and an empty sleeping bag sat quietly next to him. It was bright outside, meaning that the sun was out and it was daytime.

The 'door' to the tent flapped open, and Lance crawled in, looking very warm and sweating. He caught a glimpse at Travis and smiled. "About time you woke up."

"Where are we?" Travis asked, starting to calm down. "I thought...I thought you were dead."

Lance raised an eyebrow at his friend. "I was never dead. Apparently I just got lucky and the bullet hit a pack of mints I picked up from the station."

"And as for where we are, a settlement just outside Las Vegas."

"Las Vegas?"

Lance nodded, "I took the truck and drove us there. I was-or should I say, we were lucky enough to evade the gangs that were patrolling the border."

"What happened after that?" Travis pressed on.

"Well," Lance continued, taking a seat next to Travis, "After I got us away from the gangs, the tire blew and we were stuck. Luckily there was a friendly settlement just a half-mile off, and a few of them were able to carry you and guide me here."

They both sat there for a long while, silent and deep in thought. Travis was trying to remember the past events since he passed out, and Lance was deep in thought of what to do from here.

"You were lucky I heard that voice," Lance finally said, "Or else you would've died."

"What voice?" Travis asked.

"I heard someone, or something cry 'HELP!' in my head. Tha how I noticed something was wrong."

Something in Travis clicked, and finally he knew. "You mean...you heard my thoughts?"

Lance stared at Travis. "Your what?"

"That's exactly what I was screaming in my head, calling for help over and over."

"Could you be…?" Lance said in a low voice.

"Telepathic? I think so…" Travis finished his sentence. "But what about you? You survived from a pack of mints, from a bullet even."

"Yeah, but I was just lucky I suppose."

"And what about when you took out the other two guys (now that I remember)? And how you said you got away from the other gangs? And even when you found this place? It's either fate, or you've been real lucky yourself." Travis finished his statement, leaving Lance silent.

Had he indeed been lucky all this time? Was this all just a stroke of luck that made them survive? Chris didn't… He was killed. Is he really lucky, or is he a death trap?

He didn't really want to know.

"Anyway, what're we going to do from here?" Lance tried to change the subject.

"I don't know.. I want to go to Colorado Springs as fast as possible." said Travis softly, "Probably just as much as you do. But I don't think I have the energy to go. At least for awhile."

Lance nodded and patted his friends back. "Then we'll stay here for now. Until you fully recover."

Travis nodded. "It's too late to recover...I just can't, after what happened. With these new powers and after the blast… I just can't face it. Not like this."

Lance smiled, sadly. "Me too, Travis. Me too."

***~''~***

**And the saga rolls on…**

NEXT TIME: The coming of Kana Himekazi, the Necromancer, heralds the new Age, while down in the land of Dixie, Talon and Mutsumi make some choices…

**As usual, the standard applies! Submit your versions of what happened to you or one of the goddesses (try for variety, everyone) at the current time of the story! R&R!**


	8. Kebinu's Interlude: Meeting Your Goddess

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 8

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

**The third installment of the so-called Kebinu Saga! Here, our intrepid fire user meets his goddess-The temperamental, intelligent, beautiful, and hot (in more ways than one ^__^) Naru Narusegawa! Known in the future as the Evil Empress Naru! Roll em, and grab the popcorn!**

***~''~***

"Well, it's nice you're relating the stories of your fellow demi-gods and goddesses," said Arney, sounding a slightly impatient foot tapping, "but how does this fit together into the Big Picture?"

"'Big Picture', Miss Arney?" Talon asked, sounding somewhat amused. "The Big Picture is seldom seen until after it's been completed. Always a jig-saw puzzle in motion, is the future." Arney raised an eyebrow.

"You said that quote?"

"No, one of my ex-girlfriends did." Talon smirked. "I'd never mangle a _Star Wars _quote, especially by Yoda, so much."

Arney tilted her head quizzically, giving the demi-god a look.

"Well, fine then... But how does this fit with _anything?_"

"Well," Talon said, sighing deeply, "my brother, Benjamin, began to write down prophecies he received, thanks to his powers. He could discern the past, the present, the possible futures-All of it, from just a touch."

"Kind of like... John Smith, of Stephen King's _The Dead Zone_?" Asked Arney, blinking. Talon nodded approvingly.

"I'm glad you've at least heard of it. Yes, exactly. In any event, one of the major prophecies my brother made was that each of the Seven Goddesses - Mutsumi, Naru, Shinobu, Kanako, Kitsune, Suu, and Motoko - would be paired with a champion. These champions would serve their goddesses completely and totally, and be responsible for either saving or destroying them... For all of us champions were connected to our goddess by the most wonderful and terrible thing imaginable."

"Which was?" Talon smiled like a Cheshire cat.

"Love, of course." The demi-god walked over to the window, looking up at the sun. It was nearing midday. Reassuming his professor's air, Talon frowned, turning to his student.

"It's almost lunchtime. Perhaps you should...?"

"No, no, I'm fine," assured Arney, smiling. "So, which champions went to which goddesses?"

"It is rather obvious," Talon observed dryly, "who had which goddess. Still... All right." Talon gave Arney his full attention, his green eyes locking with her blue ones once more.

"Shinobu had two champions: Kana Himekazi and Lance Waymire. Mutsumi had myself, of course. Motoko had... Well... I suppose we still have to see. Kitsune's champion was either Christopher Magician or Eijentu, that's still being debated. Suu's champion? We're still not sure about her, either... Kanako's, of course, was Kana, and Naru's..."

"Kebinu?"

"Indeed..."

***~''~***

__

Still late autumn, 2015

"Shit."

Kevin stood inside the Eisenhower Tunnel, deep in the Rocky Mountains. He had been making reasonable time since he was exiled from Denver, following road signs and navigating his way through the wilderness as he continued west to higher and higher altitudes, but when he reached the gigantic tunnel that had been carved through the side of a mountain more than half a century ago, he was frustrated by—of all things—a gigantic steel door. A door that, to the best of his knowledge, was not supposed to exist.

Angrily, he paced back out to his car and sat down in the driver's seat, leaning his head on the steering wheel. That door was too thick for even him to blast open. It seemed he'd hit a dead end. To have come this far…

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, _dammit_!" he shouted, banging his head against the wheel—and jumping in surprise when he accidentally honked the horn. "Cruel fate, must you always mock me?!"

"Hey there stranger… need a lift?"

Kevin opened his eyes and glanced up, in time to see a grinning young blonde man. Said blonde man flung the car door open and before Kevin even realized it, he had been grabbed by the collar and pulled from the car, then thrown roughly to the pavement.

"Uh… what's your problem?" he mumbled laconically from the ground—a second before the heel of the man's shoe collided with his belly, knocking the wind out of him.

"Not much. It's just that this is _our_ territory, y'see, and when people drive through it without paying the toll, it kind of pisses us off."

"I'm gonna… go out on a limb…" Kevin gasped, too winded from the combination of sucker-punch and thin mountain air to flame the man, and too interested in getting information to do so even if he could have. "Let me guess… you guys… built that door?"

"Smart guy. Say, that car ain't really yours, is it? Most guys your age can't afford a BMW."

"That's just one of many surprising things about me," Kevin shot back, as he felt enough strength return to make a fireball sprout from his left hand.

The blonde man's eyes widened. "Oh shit… a fire user… there's _another_ one of these freaks?! Talk about bad luck…" he yelped, stepping back quickly.

Kevin's eyes widened. "Another? Another one? Around _here_? And who are you calling a—" any further questioning was cut off as two other young men shoved loaded M16s to his neck, providing him some encouragement to let the fireball die out. The blonde man nodded in appreciation.

"Good timing, Carlos, Bill. Let's get this guy back to base… eh heh heh. Two little fire users, one nice payday for the Mountaineers." He gave a hand signal, and the other two men grabbed Kevin roughly by the arms and pulled him off the road and down a rocky slope into the trees along the mountainside. He could easily break the holds, but decided to play along… these guys were the key to getting the door open, and the existence of another fire user had piqued his curiosity to the extreme.

After some fifteen minutes of hiking, they arrived at what looked like a small base camp, with an array of tents, portable generators, cooking fires and several four-wheeled ATVs. Around a dozen men and a few women were milling around, but gathered in one spot as the blonde man approached with his captive.

"What did you get this time, Rob?" called out one of the men to the blonde guy, who grinned triumphantly.

"This loser tried to drive his pretty German sports car through our tunnel," he cackled. "Can you believe the nerve of some people these days? There's just no respect for authority left in this world."

"Bet that car'll go for a good price," one young lady piped up.

"That's not all, though," the blonde guy insisted, pointing at Kevin. "This guy's a fire user too!"

At this a chorus of loud shouting went up, disturbing birds from the trees nearby and blending into a cacophony of statements.

"Damn, two in two days!"

"We're gonna be rolling in it!"

"Looks like this one went down pretty easily, too."

"Yeah, he didn't put up half of the struggle that girl did," Rob confirmed.

__

So the other one's a girl, Kevin thought quietly to himself. _I wonder if she's cute_—

"Hey, you! Quit daydreaming and listen up!" shouted one of the men who was holding Kevin—Bill, he thought the guy's name was—as he grabbed Hanson roughly and herded him towards a small, black tent. "Get in here and keep quiet!"

"Uh… aren't you going to tie me up or something?" Kevin called back over his shoulder, confusion on his features.

"No point," replied the man—a big, burly type with more hair on his arms than most people have on their heads—as he unzipped the tent flap. "The girl burned right through the ropes like they were nothing, so we won't waste any on you either. Don't get any ideas about escaping, though," he added. "We're going to have you under surveillance 24 hours a day, and if you so much as stick your head out of this tent you'll need to find a surgeon to reattach your head."

"Duly noted, thank you—aaaaaaaccckk!" Kevin shouted as he was flung through the tent flap, which promptly zipped shut behind him, and tumbled a few steps until he fell flat on his face. The first thing he was aware of was that he had landed on something that was very soft and warm, and smelled rather nice.

"Eeeeeeeeeeek! What are you doing, you _pervert_?!"

He almost jumped out of his skin as he realized he had landed on top of someone. He didn't even get the chance to get up, however, as a fist sailed out of nowhere and connected with his face, sending him flying backwards and landing on his butt. At the same moment, a small flame ignited inside the room within the hand of the person who had been his landing cushion, and for the first time he got a good look at his tent-mate.

The person was undoubtedly female, a stunning figure showing through her turtleneck and skirt being the proof. Her hair was long, and reddish-brown in color, falling over her back and around the sides of her head. In the middle of her bangs a most peculiar cowlick that vaguely resembled antennae sprouted from her forehead. Her face was smoothly defined, light in complexion and unblemished, and her huge, expressive eyes were a deep brown color, like his. All in all, she was quite easy on the eyes.

Or at least she would have been, if she wasn't wearing one of the most frightening facial expressions ever devised.

"You damn pervert…" she snarled, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "Taking advantage of an injured girl like me… I oughta…"

"Whoa, hey!" he called out quickly. "What the hell are you talking about, girl?! You want to bitch somebody out, bitch the guy who threw me into you!"

"Spare me. I'm in no mood to be groped," she snapped, increasing the size of the flame slightly for emphasis.

"Okay, I'm _sorry_. Now can you please settle down? (God, women get worked up over the dumbest things…)" he muttered, rubbing his sore cheek.

"What was that?!" barked the girl. "You're lucky I can't walk, pal, or I'd be over there teaching you one hell of a lesson."

Kevin sighed loudly. "Okay, time out. Let's take ten seconds to breathe deeply and calm down, then we can try talking again. Okay? Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. All right. Now… are you the fire user those guys were talking about?"

"You have a keen grasp of the obvious, pal. What tipped you off, the thing in my hand?" the girl growled, gesturing to the fire on her hand. "And what's it to you, anyway?"

"Well, first of all," he replied, holding up his hand and letting a flame appear on it, "I can do that trick too."

For a moment the girl was silent, looking him over, as though studying him.

"Go on," she said eventually, noticeably calmed down.

"Second of all, I heard them talking about getting paid for catching people like us. What exactly is that about?"

"…you're not from around here, are you?" the girl said, lifting an eyebrow.

"I've spent the last ten years in an airport, if that's what you mean," Kevin replied. "And judging by that accent, you're not from around here either. Sounds Asian to me… let me guess. Japanese?"

"Good guess," the girl conceded, nodding. "My name is Naru Narusegawa."

"Naru," he repeated. "Well, nice to meet you, Naru."

__

A pretty name for a pretty girl…

"What did you say?" the girl exclaimed, her eyes considerably wider.

"Er… nothing! Not a thing!" Kevin quickly replied. _Oh crap, did I say that out loud? Now she's probably going to go back to calling me a pervert_, he thought to himself, smacking his forehead and feeling his cheeks grow noticeably warmer.

"So… what's your name?" she asked.

"Kevin Hanson, but just call me Kevin," he replied quickly, nodding slightly.

"_Ke…binu…_" she pronounced.

"Er, no, it's 'Kevin'. K-E-V-I-N. Kevin," he corrected.

"Ke-binu," she tried again.

"Come on! It's Ke-vin! KE-VIN!" he shouted, raising his voice considerably.

"HEY! SHUT UP IN THERE!" barked a voice from outside, prompting him to mutter a quick apology.

"Kebinu," Naru said again, this time with considerable finality.

'Kebinu' sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess 'Kebinu' will do… anyway, Naru, how'd you end up here?"

"Long story," she replied. "And you probably wouldn't believe me."

"My situation's no different," he answered with a little smile. "The short version is that I'm an outcast with no place to go. How about you?"

"I'm looking for someone," she said, glancing seriously at him. "Someone important."

"Let me guess… it's not one of the people out there?"

"Congratulations," Naru answered sarcastically. "No, it's not them. I just kind of got a little waylaid with these creeps. I flew into Denver from Japan six years ago—"

"You're kidding?! That was _you_?!"

Naru frowned. "Huh?"

'Kebinu' nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I remember hearing that six years ago a plane landed at the airport. I missed it because I was out on the plains tracking down some lady's lost kid… damn! What kind of plane was it?"

"What does that matter?" Naru queried.

"Oh, uh, sorry, got carried away," he smiled sheepishly. "I used to be kind of an aviation buff. Anyway, now you've got me curious. Go on."

"Well, I came here with some other people… friends of mine. For the past six years we've basically been up and down the American southwest searching for a guy, but… we didn't find him, and we eventually kind of… split up." 

She looked away bitterly for a moment, then resumed her story. 

"I decided recently to go back to Denver, just because I know it better than any of the other places I've passed through. I've been making my way east and got blocked by that stupid tunnel yesterday… then they jumped me. Ordinarily I would have just fried them all, but…"

"But…?"

Naru pointed to her left leg, which was extended straight out on the ground, the area around her ankle red and swollen. "I'm not used to driving, and when I got out of my car, I caught my foot on the brake pedal and wrenched my ankle." 

Before he realized it, laughter burst out of his mouth—the first laugh he'd had in years. Naru's face immediately soured, and the flame she held grew into a full-fledged fireball.

"It's not funny, you jerk!" she snapped, baring her teeth. "You want to laugh at me, I'll give you something to laugh about—"

"Sorry, sorry!" he replied quickly. "I've just never heard of anyone doing that before. So that's how you wound up here."

"And anyway, what are you laughing about?! You got caught too, and you don't look like you're hurt at all! Call yourself a—"

"Uh, that was on purpose, miss. I wanted to meet you," he replied, holding up a hand.

Naru blinked. "Huh?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but I have a couple of questions that probably only you can answer. First of all… what was that guy talking about when he said that we were worth a lot of money?"

Outside, it sounded like the guard was being changed.

"All right, Carlos, it's your turn," Bill announced to his companion as he stood and walked away from the tent. "Keep a close eye on them."

"No problem, Bill!" Carlos called back after him. "I can go for days without sleep!"

"Man, you really are out of it," Naru sighed. "Okay, You probably don't know this, but around different parts of this country, people like us get treated differently. Out east there are plenty of us who get treated like royalty or something. People look up to them, call them leaders, sometimes even worship them. In the west, though, it's kind of a different story. With all these mountains and deserts, it's like a giant no-man's-land, and there's no authority whatsoever. People do whatever they want to."

"So this is it, I'm living in a Mad Max flick…"

"_Are you listening to me or not, smart-ass_?!"

"Sorry, continue."

"AHEM." The expression on her face indicated she didn't want to bother explaining, but from the sound of her voice, it seemed she certainly liked to hear herself talk. "Out here, basically money and power are everything. If you've got an edge over someone, you have to flaunt it. If you've got money, you can influence people. If you have both, you have control. But there's not many people who do, and as a result… people do stupid things with their money. Like put out bounties on elemental users' heads."

"…why the hell would they do that?"

"I'm getting to that! Say you were in a position of power. Say you felt someone was a threat to you. What would you do?"

"…eliminate them?"

"Bingo. The bosses of the gangs around here pay out money to get rid of people like us, because we're stronger than them. It's the little dog going for the big dog's jugular before the big one can bite."

"I see. So where would you fit in this?"

"Huh?"

"I'm just curious. I mean, I personally never saw myself as a 'big dog'. I just want to live my own life."

Naru looked away. "I just got sick of it. Sick of the people in power always being the people who don't have a clue how to lead. One day I just woke up and was like, 'You know what? I'm smart, I'm powerful. I should just take over.'"

"(Gee, she's sure modest…) I see. And how did you plan to do this?"

Naru glanced at him, then at the ground. "…I'm still working on that." She looked up, slightly surprised, when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll tell you what," he said, a confident expression coming over his face. "While I'm not crazy about people being bossed around, I definitely prefer order to chaos. Besides, you're the first person I've met in a decade who treated me normally (aside from punching me in the face)," he added under his breath. "You've got yourself a recruit."

"Great. Now all we have to do is get out of here," Naru mumbled.

"Leave that to me," he smiled. "This dog's done with rolling over and playing dead."

***~''~***

'Kebinu' stood and walked to the tent flap. Prying it open to glance around, he noticed that Carlos had failed to live up to his eagle-eyed reputation and was now snoring contentedly on the ground. Opportunity was not just knocking, it was apparently breaking the door down with a hatchet. Allowing himself a small grin, he ducked back inside and walked over to stand in front of Naru.

"Can you stand up?"

"Yeah," she grunted, struggling to her feet.

"All right, give me your hands and feet."

"Hey, what are you—ACK! DON'T TOUCH ME THERE!!!"

And just like that, Naru managed to rebuild the door and slam it in Opportunity's face with one ill-timed complaint, as Carlos' eyes snapped open just a second after the two fugitives managed to slip out through the tent door. From his prone position on the ground, the gang member could see Naru clinging to 'Kebinu' piggyback-style, and was also afforded a rather panoramic view of her…

"STOP STARING AT MY PANTIES!" Naru roared in a voice 'Kebinu' hadn't heard her use before, as she spun around and pointed her right hand at Carlos, whose nose was trickling blood. A split second later a blazing jet of fire erupted from her hand and smote the unfortunate peeping tom right where he lay, leaving behind little that would have been recognizable as human.

"Overreaction, much?" 'Kebinu' murmured.

"Just shut up and carry me!" the Japanese girl huffed.

Unfortunately, the combination of shrieking and flaming on Naru's part had essentially alerted the entire area code to what was going on. A shout went up around the camp, and in a matter of seconds 'Kebinu' found himself in the now familiar situation of being surrounded by armed men.

"Funny," growled Rob, leveling his gun at the two fire users, "I don't recall the teacher yelling 'jailbreak'."

"What? I can't hear you," 'Kebinu' replied sarcastically, setting Naru down and flexing his fingers.

"They're not worth the trouble, Rob," yelled Bill, as he and several of the others cocked their rifles. "The bounty applies whether they're dead or alive, so let's just kill 'em and be done with it."

"Works for me. Shoot!"

The creatures of the forest scattered for cover as the sharp report of high-powered rifles echoed through the air, mingling with the loud crackling of flames. In ten seconds it was over, and three people were left standing, two of whom were 'Kebinu' and Naru. Nine out of ten others were on the ground with lead in their heads.

Bill took an involuntary step backwards as 'Kebinu' lowered the ring of fire he had surrounded Naru and himself with.

"H-how in the hell did you dodge that? I had it aimed right for your head," he gasped, his knuckles white on the rifle's handles.

"Me?" 'Kebinu' shrugged. "I just did some math. My flames couldn't stop the bullets, but when air is heated, it rises. It only takes a slight updraft to alter a bullet's trajectory. The rest was you idiots being stupid enough to fire when you're standing in a circle."

Naru allowed herself a slight smile. "So that explains that breeze I felt just now. Clever. But now it's my turn." She slowly turned to face Bill, who had acquired a dark stain in his pants. "Let's play a little game, shall we? It's called 'Kill Bill.'"

"It's been done," 'Kebinu' remarked casually, looking bored.

"Quiet, you," Naru growled, taking her eyes off Bill long enough for him to come to the conclusion that it was safe to run, and run he did.

"…he's getting away."

"That's what you think!" Naru cackled, her eyes suddenly taking on a maniacal glint as she whirled and launched a stream of fireballs at Bill's retreating form.

The woods resonated yet again with Bill's screams of terror.

"Run! Run! Or you'll be well done!" Naru shrieked giddily as she continued to launch fireball after fireball.

"Once again, it's been done," 'Kebinu' sighed as he paced over into one of the tents, emerging a few moments later with a scrap of paper, which he then stuffed into his pocket. Naru paused momentarily with her artificial firestorm to glance at him in confusion.

"What the hell is that?" she growled, raising an eyebrow.

"Security codes for that door, duh," he rolled his eyes. "Have you got it out of your system?"

"Not yet. Hang on," she replied, then spun and set a random pine tree ablaze.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…okay, now I'm done."

"Right," he nodded, kneeling down slightly.

"H-hey, what are you—eeeeeeek!" Naru squealed as he tucked one of his arms under her knees and the other around the small of her back and hoisted her up, carrying her in front of him. Thanks to his enhanced strength, her body was feather-light; there once was a time long ago when he would have struggled mightily to lift a person.

"Look," he said, calmly, glancing down at her. "I'm doing this so I don't have to grab you anywhere you might be 'sensitive'. All right?"

"…fine," she muttered, looking away, and tucked her arm around his shoulder for good measure as he began to walk towards the edge of the campsite.

'Kebinu' glanced down at Naru, who finally seemed to be calming down and relaxing after her high-strung episode, and couldn't help but smile. _This feels like I'm carrying a bride across a threshold,_ he thought to himself. _Oh man… what would it be like to marry a girl like her?_

"…what's that stupid smile on your face for?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing at all."

"Well, cut it out, it's creeping me out. Oh, and by the way…" she reached around his neck, pulling her face closer to his. Abruptly his cheeks heated up and he felt a violent shiver run through him. 

"N-Naru, you don't have to—" he began, and then paused in disappointment as he felt her hands circle around to the back of his head and grab his hair tie, then unceremoniously yank it off, leaving his hair to tumble down. "What'd you do that for?!" he growled.

"Look, if you're gonna work with me, the ponytail has to go. It looks dumb."

"But my hair's too long to be untied!" he protested. "It keeps it out of my face—"

"Then cut it."

"But I don't _wanna_ cut it! I like it long!"

"Then live with it," Naru announced with considerable finality. "And another thing…" she added, reaching up to his face and pulling his glasses off, "You don't need these. Your vision was fixed eleven years ago."

"H-how did you know?" he remarked, surprised, as indeed the removal of his glasses resulted in no blurring of the lines of the scenery all around him.

"Because I used to be nearsighted too, duh," Naru rolled her eyes. "And then, just like that, my vision was perfect, and then I stopped aging. Hell, I don't even get pimples any more!"

"Well, I kinda liked my glasses," he sighed. "They made me look more human…"

"Well, you're not human any more, and neither am I," Naru shot back. "We're more than human; we're better than human, maybe even godly."

"Godly…?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "All our minor imperfections are gone, and all that's left is our potential to be mastered. And I intend to master _everything_."

"Everything? Does that include debating?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Because if you did," he grinned with a wink, "That would make you a master-debater—_ow_! Leggo!" he wailed as she yanked on his cheek with her free hand.

"And one more thing," she growled, eyes narrowed, "You better not try anything funny with me, got it? I know a pervert when I see one, and sore ankle or not, I can still kick your ass."

"Yes ma'am," he grumbled. "By the way…"

"What?"

"Do you remember what direction it is to get back to the highway?"

"…no."

"Me neither. Oh, well," shrugged the American with an aw-shucks smile. "Guess we've got some adventuring to do."

"I hate adventuring."

"Do you hate it more than being killed for a bounty?"

"…not really."

"Okay, then, it's decided," he grinned, pacing over to one of the gang's unused ATVs and setting Naru down on it, then climbing onto the seat right behind her. He glanced past her head to the controls, and saw that they resembled that of a few four-wheelers he'd driven long, long ago. He could wing it.

"Why am I sitting in front of you?" he heard Naru ask. "Shouldn't the driver be in front?"

"Just making sure you can't fall off," he responded, glad she couldn't see the smile of utter contentment he had on his face as he cranked the starter key and hit the ignition switch and the four-wheeler roared to life. "Here's the plan," he added over the rumble of the engine. "We'll head up the mountain until we hit pavement, since I remember the road being at a higher elevation. Then we'll figure out which direction we need to go. Hold on tight."

"Like I have a choice," Naru countered as she laid her hands on top of his on the steering column and leaned back against him, which only served to make his cheeks burn hotter. "Let's go."

***~''~***

"Wow... So, Kebinu started out, just like everyone else?"

"No one is born a monster, Miss Arney, nor born a hero, for that matter," Talon said gravely. Arney bit her lip, then a small grin emerged from her heart-shaped face.

"They were a funny pair," giggled Arney. "I read their journal entries when they were published-Really racy in some areas..."

"Sexual frustration and repression does that to you," Talon noted, a crooked smile decorating his features. Arney nodded happily, before frowning.

"All right... Well... Are we at the point when the other champions meet with their goddesses yet?"

"Yes... Unusual how they all met up at around the same time, hm? At any rate, we're to one of my dearest... And strangest friends. The Necromancer, and Guardian of the Necromonium: Kana Himekazi..."

***~''~***

**Well, I was going to put mine and Kana's part up next, but I felt that this way was much cleaner.**

NEXT TIME: Kana Himekazi emerges, a symbol of things to come, as the continents shift to a new formation for the politics of the future. Talon explains the Scrolls of Ryu, and how the powers of the Immortals were determined (as far as the Cataclysm was concerned). And, still in the Land of Dixie, Mutsumi and Talon make some choices...

****

I'm requesting that, any female authors in the LH section *cough*SilverMintandEijentu*cough* to please start writing at least a minor passage or two about their own experiences in this world. Also, any further additions to this saga MUST (repeat, MUST) include one of the Goddesses or another LH character.

Also, I am asking for anyone interested in this series continuing to write a short entry on my brother, the Prophet Ben. I would myself, but I'm REALLY bogged down in school and SAT preparation. Here's the data on him you'll need for such a passage. Note: It doesn't have to be very long, just enough for him to meet Kanako and form a friendship with her, or establish this in a flashback.

Name: Benjamin Doyle Talon

Alias(es): The Prophet of Kanako, Precogg's Head, Ryu's Heir

Age (Physical): 16

Height: 6' 1"

Weight: 190 lbs

Body Design: Stocky, heavyset. 

Hair: Dark brown, curly

Eyes: Hazel

Powers: Precognition, tactile telepathy, short-range clairvoyance

Personality: (before Cataclysm) Cool, sarcastic, cold. Like a male Kanako Urashima, only more egotistical

(after Cataclysm) Quiet, reserved. More like Haruka Urashima, only not as prone to violence ^_^

R&R!


	9. The Coming of Kana

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 9

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

__

Still late autumn, 2015

He was just a man, once. The Cataclysm changed him completely. Where his hair was once black and kept short, it became white and reached to his shoulders. His frame was reduced to a near skeletal form, appearing to be barely able to support itself. The Cataclysm changed his physical appearance but it did little for his outlook on life and humanity. He still despised it, his being human. He still despised it, humanity itself. And with his unusually potent skills with his two katanas, he proceeded to literally kill his way to where he was to be. Destiny and Fate had things in store for him and he was not one to disappoint them. The age of chaos was at hand and he must be there to ensure that the Lightbringer is not brought low.

"Colorado Springs…" he muttered to himself as he cut down another biker who was at his knees, begging him for mercy when just a moment ago, he was on his bike, harassing the white haired young man. "…the scrolls have said what is to come. The prophecy is coming to pass…"

The wind blew past him violently, causing his black leather jacket to flow a little backwards. He spat, he knew it was no ordinary wind. It was the force of ki, very powerful ki. He marched on, he could sense it. He knew he was near his goal, the scrolls have not failed him yet and they will not fail him now. His master, a man known only as Junzo Yogo, told him all that was tocome to pass. As he neared a young woman with long black hair and a katana, he knew that his master was right. He knows what he must do but whether he will be able to fulfill his Destiny or succumb to his Fate, only time could tell.

"Aoyama…she has arrived." he muttered as he walked closer. "…The first of the seven has come to pass. The Master was right but I must be careful from here on end. The crossroads are near; death must come knocking at her door."

Almost instantly, Motoko Aoyama recognized him as a demon or some other being of evil. However, despite this fact, she allowed him to go on and slaughter any person or any thing that got in his way. The man dressed in black was walking forward at a relentless pace, his expression weary and tired but the bloodlust still loomed strong over him. He would bring death and

destruction upon all that stood between him and his goal. Motoko ignored the very evil that his mere presence exhibited so easily even though she could easily dispense of him. However, Motoko was curious as to just why this man seemed so…driven.

"Who are you?"

"I am Kana." He answered as he stopped walking. "I assume you know part of what is to come?"

"My family was entrusted with one of the seven scrolls, yes."

"Then you know you must not delay me any further than you already have by engaging me in this idle chit-chat." Kana answered as he proceeded onwards. "We will meet again, Thunderer. The champions will begin to gather in a century's time. If the scrolls are right, Edwards will be along here shortly."

"How many have come to pass?"

"The first is done; the second will begin in a year or so. The Void will be opened, darkness will cover the land and a noble empire ruled by two Empresses shall rise from the ashes of ancient Babylon. Factions will be awakened and an unholy alliance will be formed."

"And the land shall run red with blood, the fires will burn and millions will be wiped from the face of the earth." Motoko said with dismay. "Is there no way to prevent all of this? There must be another way to achieve true peace for humanity, surely!"

"Forever the optimist, I see. Even know, your sister has fallen prey to the Cataclysm, the man you loved has vanished from sight and she…" Kana stopped for a second, pondering what to say next. "…she has become distant from you. And of course, there is the younger, innocent one."

"I still love them…"

"And they you, Aoyama." Kana bowed respectfully and walked away.

"Guard the two of them well. For if I live or die, I will be forever watching you." Motoko warned sternly.

"It is written 'He will neither be the Lightbringer's left hand, nor her right. He will be the underhand, the dagger in the shadows, the eye that never sleeps.' That is what is required of me." Kana ignored anything Motoko had said to him afterwards, his only objective now was getting to the Lightbringer, the goddess budding near Colorado Springs. 

"Shinobu, wait for me. The first of your two Knights is coming. My swords are stained in blood, all the better to keep you safe

until the third scroll's prophecies come to pass..."

***~''~***

"Scrolls?" Talon nodded, leaning back against his desk.

"In the seventeenth century, a Japanese warrior named Yong Ryu wrote the seven scrolls of Prophecy. They predicted everything that happened after the Cataclysm, from the Cataclysm itself, to the shifting of the continents, to the rise of the Goddesses and their Champions. However, by 2004, all but the second scroll held within the Aoyama dojo, in Japan, were destroyed. And so, it fell to my brother, the Prophet Benjamin, to rewrite the prophecies." Arney tilted her head thoughtfully.

"So... Ryu's spirit was, what, possessing Ben?" Talon smiled slightly.

"No. Ryu never possessed the kind of power my brother had... as far as it is known. All of the demi-gods' and goddess' powers came from a particular trait of theirs, rather than... Past connections. My speed and ESP, for instance, came from my impatience and mild paranoia. Kana's necromancy from his own inner darkness and distaste for the living. Kebinu's strength and fire-wielding abilities from his repressed frustration and anger. And my brother was ever the inquisitor, eager to learn about the feelings and motivations of others... though it was mostly for blackmail purposes."

"God has a twisted sense of humor," noted Arney dryly. Talon shrugged.

"I've never doubted it. Anyway, my brother had visions of the future from the start, and headed off to the remains of Chicago, to wait. He set up a community he called Precogg, and served as it's leader, and an ally of Haruka's, until the years of the Evil Naru Empire." Talon's eyes hardened.

"Naru cast my brother into the Void..." Talon's throat became dry, seeing the memory. "He stood silent as they shoved him in, never saying anything..."

"... Sir?" Talon shook himself free of his reverie, and smiled at Arney. The girl's features softened.

"Sorry... So! Where are we, in our trek through time?" Arney rolled her eyes at her professor's bravado.

***~''~***

"Ow... Ow... OW!"

"Talon-kun, hold still or I can't apply the bandages!"

"I heal plenty fast enough without those accursed things," Talon growled, Mutsumi applying the gauze to another of his ribs, as the two sat on a boulder at the bank of a rushing stream. Talon had his shirt off, his skin a patchwork of red sun exposures and pale regions, almost transluscent over his skinny, wiry body. The American sighed dismally, as Mutsumi's soft hands wrapped the bandage around his torsoe.

"Yes, but then they'd heal crooked, and you'd suffer breathing problems," Mutsumi said, shaking her head in exasperation. Talon snorted.

"They never have before."

"You've never had bullets graze your chest before," she sighed, applying some antiseptic lotion she'd found in a ruined Walmart to Talon's wounds. The Coloradan smirked slightly.

"I still took down the guys who shot at us, didn't I? And we've been in worse spots. Remember that girl in Texas... Azreal, was it?"

"Don't remind me. The way she could conjure anything she wanted with her breath..." Mutsumi shook her head, rubbing another spurt of lotion into the ruts on Talon's chest. The boy managed to shift his focus from how good her hands felt on his roughened skin by giving her an empathetic look.

"I don't like thinking about it, either... But we took her out too, didn't we? Much worse than a couple of guys with guns."

"Ara... Maybe... All right. You're done," Mutsumi said, tightening the bandages slightly. Talon smiled at her, squeezing her hand in thanks, before picking up his black turtleneck and pulling it on. Mutsumi watched him, a serious look on her face.

"You know, we could find an empty mall or something, and get you clothes that aren't all... Black." Talon turned back, raising an eyebrow, as he pulled on his black cloak. He looked up and down the Japanese girl's body, clothed in a white turtleneck sweater, long navy skirt, and knee-high leather boots, as well as her usual blue cloak.

"What's wrong with black?" Talon asked pointedly, running a hand through his messy brown hair. Mutsumi shrugged.

"Ara... The fact that you look like the Angel of Death with your hood on might have something to do with it."

"Again, what's wrong with that? It scares the living daylights out of the bad guys, right?"

"Yes, and the people who might help us! You and your gravelly voice, always frightening people!" Talon gave her a quizzical look.

"Have I done something wrong?" Mutsumi sighed, crossing her arms, before turning her back to him. The American scowled.

"C'mon, Mutsumi-chan. You can tell me," Talon gently prodded, walking over to her right. Mutsumi turned and looked into the amber trees of the forest nearby, Talon sighing.

"Mutsumi! We've been together for four years! What is it?"

"..."

"... Fine," Talon snarled, turning and leaping away in a blur. Mutsumi listened to him go, and looked out across the cold stream of water, her eyes glassing up.

****

Talon's POV

"Honestly," I huffed, stalking through the trees at a speed any normal human would have gawked at. For me, it was only marginally fast. I left my body on autopilot, the passing branches and leaves a warped vortex around me. The rest of me fell in thought.

Over the last few weeks, Mutsumi had been more quiet, more distant. Small things would lead to her being silent for hours on end, while I went for runs or firewood. I care for her, and always tried to make things right... But at those times, it seemed that she simply needed more time alone. And others, she was just fine...

Women were indeed a puzzle, but Mutsumi was one with a heaping helping of an enigma.

"What's with her?"

****

Mutsumi's POV

It's been twelve years, ten months, two days, and ten hours since I last saw him. I sit on the boulder, looking out at the quietly trickling stream, my hands steepled, my eyes slightly wet.

Keitaro Urashima, was the one man I ever loved. I felt for him, felt closer to him than to any other being in all of my twenty-three years before the Cataclysm.

But now that's changed. I can't help feeling Talon's dedication, his courage, and being in awe of the strength in such a young man. I feel his compassion and honesty, and am moved. And I feel his inner hurts and fear, his repressed anger, and I weep at what he's had to suffer through, what we've all suffered through.

And that's the problem. I love Keitaro, but now... I can't help feeling that for Andrew, and it scares me.

"Kei-kun," I murmur, looking into the grey sky. I shut my eyes, sighing deeply. My heart is a battlefield, now. Part of me let go of Kei-kun a while ago, another won't, and still another advocates telling my "bodyguard".

_Why else would he stay with you for so long, if he did not love you?_ This voice inquires. I mentally shrug: I have no good answers for my heart.

But I do know this: I have been unfairly distant and cold with Andrew-kun. I can't help but smile at the memory of the second day we spent together.

_"Ara, Talon-kun? You have a first name, correct?" Her savior of the previous day looked at her, caught between amusement and puzzlement. They were sitting atop an old apartment building, watching the sun rise scarlet and gold._

"Well, yes." Mutsumi tilted her head in a bird-like fashion, examining the young American. Talon couldn't help but feel as if she could see right through him. Her gaze was suddenly, almost frighteningly, intense.

"Then, why do you insist on being called Talon?" The American sighed deeply, looking down at his feet. 

"_I... I guess that... Since I lost, my entire family in the... the Cataclysm, I should go by my family name."_

"Your family name?"

"Well, it's not really_, my family name. But, in my heart, Talon is simply the word that sums up what my family believed in. Strength, determination... Will."_

"Ah, I see."

A sudden burst of familiar emotion shatters my nostalgia. My eyes widen: I can feel Talon's sense become more intense. I gather my skirt and run in the direction of the burst, ignoring my anemia as much as I can.

"**_Talon!_**"

****

Talon's POV

"..."

I've seen a lot of things, in my life, that I have tacked onto a mental list for the most beautiful objects in existence. Well, to me, at least.

Third place was probably seeing a newborn baby, at Fortune, the old colony at my old high school. Her pale skin, bright blue innocent eyes, and adorable smile in the gloom of the post-Cataclysm world brought tears to my eyes. It still does.

Second place was definitely the Grand Canyon, at sunrise. Mutsumi and I had camped out on the lip of that huge chasm at dusk a year ago. I didn't think too much of the place at night. I was more busy looking up into the sky, flecked with thousands of stars. At sunrise though, I saw both the scarlet, purple, and gold of the early morning sky, and the remaining stars, an equilibrium of night and day. And the great canyon below it... Well, enough said.

First place... Well... Let's just say that I accidently walked in on Mutsumi when she was bathing in a stream at midday. All I can say (and still say) is_ wow_. 

But, according to the more... technicly-minded side of my brain, I might have a new champion...

"... Holy..." 

I'm standing in the door of a large hanger. This hanger is one of the many buildings still left at the Lockheed Martin Production Plant, in Marietta, Georgia.

And before me, is a plane I thought I'd have to wait until I was into my thirties to see up-close. 

Sleek, grey curves and elaborate angles. The plane before me looks like she's going Mach 1 just standing still, her skin as smooth as porcelain. The decals weren't applied to this plane before the plant was purged of all it's worker by the Cataclysm's shockwave, leaving it's hull as clean and pure as a virgin bride. And in the receding sun, she looks like an angel at rest.

The Lockheed Martin... F/A-22A... Raptor. I reach out my hand, pulling off my black glove, and running my fingers over her elegant hull. My eyes drink in every magnificent line of the Mistress of the Air. There's no sign of wear on her at all, which is interesting, considering I doubt there's been a maintenance crew in here for over a decade.

"... You have any idea how long I've waited to see you?" I ask, the reverent tone of my voice echoing as if in a church. I begin walking around the Raptor and letting my eyes wander. In my mind, as if through X-ray vision, I see the inner workings of the plane, born of hundreds of info books and web sites. Her powerful Pratt and Whitney turbofans with supercruise capability, allowing her to exceed the speed of sound without her afterburners. The variable-geometry thruster nozzles, making the Raptor more manueverable than any other combat aircraft in history. Internal EM, sound, and radiation dampening systems, making it so that her enemies are literally dead before they even catch a shadow of her. The Integrated Systems Program, making the Raptor as easy to fly as a video game...

The logical side of my brain says that there's no good reason I should be drooling over this... _machine_, when Mutsumi is out there, all alone. Reality snaps at my heels, as I turn and rush out the hanger doors.

"Oof!" I fall back from running into something warm and soft. My lightening-quick reflexes put me on my feet, with my sword drawn, in less than a thirtieth of a second. It takes me about that long to realize I've just KO'd the very woman I was heading out to find. Her pale body is sprawled out on the hard pavement before me, her eyes blank. My eyes instinctively widen.

"_Shit!"_

****

Mutsumi's POV

I can see a light, high above me. Yes, and singing, such nice singing...

"One! Two! Wake up, Mutsumi! Wake up!"

Ara, now I can't hear the singing, because of someone yelling at me. Gradually, I feel my eyelids over my pupils, and slowly open them. Just a sliver though, as my strength has not yet returned.

Talon is on top of me, his ear to my bosom, and a sigh of relief emits from his mouth. He wraps his arms around my form and holds me, his cheek touching mine.

"Thank God... I don't know what I'd do without you..." he murmurs, running a rough hand through my long raven hair. I sigh deeply, my vision at full as my eyes are unsheathed.

"Maybe... Not have so many problems? I mean, I am rather clumsy..." I can't help it. I feel guilty over how I've seemed to be a burden to him, moreso lately, and that latest fainting spell of mine shook up my thoughts enough that I begin talking without considering it beforehand.

"Mutsumi..."

"And I am slow and hold you up a lot," I insist. He's raised an eyebrow.

"Mutsumi..."

"And when I faint, you don't know whether or not I'll wake up, so I worry you, and-"

"Mutsumi!"

"Well, it's true! I am a burden! I should just-" With a large sigh, Talon presses his lips to mine. My eyes grow wide at the touch, as his arms pull us closer together. The warmth is wonderful, and I can't help but think that I haven't kissed Talon, as I would have when I liked someone before the Cataclysm. How rude of... 

"Um... Sorry," he says, blushing deeply, when he pulls away. "I just... It just... Oh dear..."

"Ara..." I murmur, looking up at him with a small smile. "Was that your first kiss?"

"Is it so obvious?" He asks worriedly, looking like a clueless, adolescent boy again, rather than the usually good-natured, mature warrior he tries to be. My smile grows.

"Well, if you're going to kiss someone, it's better to do it like this," I say mischeviously, as I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his surprised face to mine. Mmm... I've forgotten how nice it was to kiss someone you care about. His arms are frozen for a moment, before they begin to move his hands up and down... Oh my, am I reaching for his-?

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. I open my eyes, as Talon pulls away, looking forward in surprise. I follow his gaze.

Four young men and women, wearing long cloaks of camoflague green, stand at attention, training automatic rifles on us. In front of them, a young, lithe girl stands with them, surveying us with a cat-like detached curiosity. Her hair is short and silver, strands arranged in a way that reminds me of my old friend, Kanako Urashima. Her eyes are clear and ice blue, her skin rather pale and fair. She, too, is wearing a long cloak, only electric blue in color.

"I am Kuromaru, and I'd like to know who you are, and why you're in our colony," she says quietly, a steely tone beneath her soft voice. Talon and I exchange a look, before looking at her again. Her eyes narrow.

"I won't ask again," she hisses, a few sparks of electricity shooting from her cold eyes. I would have been surprised by this, if I hadn't already met other entities with powers like hers in the past few years. Some wielding fire, others ice, some able to shape-shift and others with simple, terrible strength... 

"Lucia?" I turn my gaze to Talon's face, looking as though he is trying to remember something. The girl called Kuromaru blinks.

"What?"

"Were you... Did you go by... Lucia Tanaka, at some point, before the Cataclysm?" Kuromaru looks confused, as her comrades exchange looks behind her.

"How-What is it to you?" Her confusion is replaced with anger, though the vulnerability I started to pick up from her remains. Talon looks at her intensely, his sense saying he knows...

"It's me... Andrew. Andrew Joshua Talon? Remember?" Kuromaru's sense transmutes to astonishment and disbelief.

"Jikei?"

***~''~***

"Jikei?" Arney asked, blinking in confusion. The professor nodded, a fond smile on his face.

"Japanese for 'big brother', a nickname she gave me when we talked online. Yes, Lucia Tanaka was her name... My so-called little sister..."

***~''~***

****

The saga rolls on...

NEXT TIME: A brief break from the events in North America. In Australia, the Cataclysm was as bad as anywhere else. But, from the ashes of Sydney rose an immortal of incredible power and virtue, called Riam Kaikiaichi. And with the archeaologist Seta Noriyasu and his teenaged daughter Sarah MacDougal, they begin to journey to the land of Crossroads... Colorado...

****

Stuff in the last chapter still (and always will) apply (aside from the Prophet Ben challenge)! R&R, please!


	10. Riam's Interlude: Exodus from The South

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 10

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

****

Written by Digital Avatar. Please note, he is using traditional Australian spelling, as he IS Australian, so it is asked that you not take offense to this. I dunno, anyone here part of the *cough*psycho*cough* American Correct Spelling Society?

***~''~***

Ruins of Sydney, Australia

Autumn, 2015

Eleven years.

Had it really been that long?

The dim pre-dawn light silhouetted a light-framed man seated on what had once been part of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge had been torn apart along with everything else on the planet. Eleven years ago. The night the world went to hell.

As time slowly rolled by, the sky in the east gradually brightened until the sun crested the horizon and spilled its light across the landscape.

The golden rays flashed upon the face of Riam Kaikiaichi, who didn't even flinch against the blinding light. His eyesight remained perfect; extremes of light and dark had long since ceased to affect his vision. Other things had also ceased to affect him, things such as aging.

He had been born over thirty years ago, and yet hadn't physically aged a single day since he was twenty

He still looked normal enough from the outside. There was nothing unusual about his strong youthful face, nor his dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. Unremarkable green eyes gazed serenely out towards the ocean.

The roar of an engine and the squeal of car tires taking a sharp corner too fast sounded somewhere in the distance to his right.

Riam stood, and sighed as he turned towards the broken cityscape of Sydney. The devastation seen there had been echoed across Australia and, as near as he could tell, across the entire planet as well.

Yes, he thought, things had changed. Re-orienting on the sounds of vehicles racing through the city streets, he effortlessly floated into the air and sped towards his destination. Many things had changed.

On the streets of Sydney, two Holden Commodores were pursuing a white van, dodging around the debris and waste littering the road. One of the Commodores was black, while the other was coloured red. Both were in bad condition, dents and scratches liberally adorning the once smooth bodies of the two cars. Large trails of dust billowed up behind all three vehicles as they raced through the city, reminiscent of stagecoaches in an old western movie.

A sudden brisk gust of wind blew across the city, briefly stirring Riam's hair as he stood perched atop a broken skyscraper, looking down at the scene below. He didn't recognise the van, but the occupants of the pursuing cars were very familiar to him.

"Bogans…" Riam muttered distastefully. Before the Cataclysm, Bogans had been one of the lowest points of the easy-going Australian people. If one combined American rednecks and trailer-park trash, the resulting abomination would closely resemble a Bogan. After the catastrophe swept the globe the Bogans quickly secured their place in the new power structure, becoming the largest single threat to the peaceful associations of survivors. While other groups such as the street gangs and hard drug dealers were also powerful factions, the Bogans were by far the most numerous. No matter if it was before or after the Cataclysm occurred, nobody likes a Bogan.

The driver of the red Commodore grinned sadistically as the distance between the vehicle he was driving and the van he was pursuing decreased rapidly. His foot pushed down on the accelerator pedal, feeding the maximum amount of power to the Holden's V8 engine. Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes and spun the steering wheel, swerving and skidding to a stop. A massive chunk of concrete had come seemingly out of nowhere, dropping from the sky and smashing into the roadway directly in front of them. Billowing clouds of dust surrounded the car, and as it cleared slowly the occupants noticed a figure standing next to the concrete slab, arms crossed and smiling confidently. He was clad in a simple dark blue outfit, consisting of a sleeveless top and gi style trousers fastened with a drawstring at the waist. Riam Kaikiaichi looked back at them calmly.

The five Bogans stepped out of their car, frowning menacingly at the man who just stood there with a quiet smile on his face. Each of the Bogans was dressed in varying colours and styles, but all wore cheap jeans, flannelette shirts, and beanies.

Three of the group approached from Riam's front, while the other two stepped around behind him, loosely surrounding their opponent.

The five grabbed knives from their belts, and held the weapons threateningly oriented towards what they thought would be an easy target.

Riam didn't wait to exchange witty banter with his attackers and as soon as they came within range his foot flashed out with lightning speed. It connected with a Bogan's hand and sent one of the knives flying through a nearby shop window.

Kaikiaichi immediately dropped low and spun on his heel, performing a leg sweep that sent both Bogans behind him sprawling to the ground before they could react.

As Riam straightened up, the two armed Bogans in front of him lunged forward with their knives. Sidestepping one clumsy attack, the blue-clothed man caught the wrist of the other assaulter and effortlessly deflected the knife's course.

Without letting go of the wrist he held he launched a powerful side kick straight into the gut of the first Bogan he had disarmed. The powerful attack propelled the man to the opposite side of the street where his back impacted a wall with a crunching thud. At the same instant, Riam twisted the wrist in his grasp. Another knife clattered to the asphalt surface as its wielder was forced to drop the weapon, followed soon after by the audible snapping sound of a breaking wrist. Two of the Bogans were out of the fight, one badly smashed against a wall and the other with a broken joint.

The two Bogans Riam had knocked of their feet near the beginning of the engagement were stumbling up, while the other one still wielding a weapon was attacking again. Kaikiaichi easily stepped back from a horizontal knife slash, then immediately stepped back in and smashed a backhand fist into the Bogan's nose. A crunch was heard as the nose broke, and the aggressor cried out in agony as he joined his friends on the ground.

Turning to face his final two opponents, Riam noted the pair glancing at each other as if deciding whether to run or fight. They chose to fight, and both rushed forward at the same time. The one to the lone fighter's left attacked with a low stab, while the one on the right went for an upward slash.

Riam dodged to the right, avoiding the first assault, and ducked down under the second. In quick succession his left elbow smashed up into the skull of the Bogan on that side, while his right fist impacted the chest of his other opponent. The concussion caused by the elbow strike resulted in an instant KO, and a high roundhouse kick launched immediately after the strike connected delivered the same fate to the final Bogan.

Riam took a moment to plant a solid kick in the side of the red Commodore, the force of the impact crunching metal before sending the vehicle smashing into the face of a concrete building. A few seconds later, part of the building collapsed forwards, burying the car under a pile of rubble.

With a contented grin, Riam made a giant leap to the top of another building and headed to take care of the black Bogan-mobile.

The white van darted erratically around debris cluttering the streets, making the black car work hard to keep on its tail as the two vehicles weaved through the city.

The driver of the Commodore had his job further complicated when a giant iron support beam skidded across the road directly in front of the black Holden. Not so lucky as the first group of Bogans, the car didn't fully stop in time to avoid hitting the massive piece of metal. Four Bogans emerged shakily from their damaged vehicle to find Riam standing upon the large piece of iron. The Bogans were dressed in the same clothing style as the gang Kaikiaichi had eliminated moments ago but these four, however, had guns.

Although Riam was fast, and grew faster every day through training, he wasn't fast enough to dodge bullets. Yet.

Each of his opponents were armed with different models of semi-automatic pistols, and thankfully none of them possessed automatic weapons or shotguns. Those could be a real pain. Riam hopped down from the beam and started to walk towards the Bogans. They had only just begun to level their guns at the blue-clad man when he sprinted forward and flip-kicked one of his enemies in the hand. The Bogan's pistol flew up into the air, and Riam caught it smoothly as he completed his flip and landed lightly on the roof of the car. He recognized the weapon he was holding as a Glock handgun, and although he didn't know the exact model, he didn't much care. Kaikiaichi jumped again, launching himself into the air and flipping backwards as he aimed to land back behind the metal beam. As he fell, he took aim and squeezed the trigger twice. Two bullets left the gun, each sending a loud report echoing along the street as they left the barrel at supersonic speeds. One of the slugs struck its target in the centre of the chest, while the second embedded itself in the left shoulder of another Bogan. As Riam landed safely behind the bar, several bullets whizzed over his head, while a few more struck the other side of the large hunk of iron. Before leaping up to take care of the remainder, Riam quickly took stock of the enemy's situation. One was dead, one was wounded, and one had been disarmed. Only one of them remained a real threat. He never had liked guns, or killing, but the world of 2015 was a hard place. He did what was necessary to stay alive, and to protect the innocent.

Riam flipped out from hiding, making sure to emerge from a different portion of the metal beam than where he had taken cover. He pulled the trigger of his weapon three times as he flew over the bar. Two bullets found their way into the wounded Bogan, while another took care of the one he had disarmed previously.

Kaikiaichi landed on his feet, quickly sliding behind a still-standing light post for cover. Another few bullets clanged against metal, safely on the other side of the post. Riam carefully turned around without breaking cover, then leapt directly to the top of the pole. Instead of firing the pistol, he threw it down towards his opponent like a boomerang. It didn't fly very well, but it did strike the Bogan with enough force to KO him. Jumping back down to the ground, the anti-Bogan vigilante re-positioned the heavy iron support beam directly on top of the Commodore, crushing the car completely.

Now it was time to go check on the driver of the van. Riam headed back up to the skyscrapers to locate the white vehicle.

A few minutes later, Riam knelt on the edge of a building that had once been around twenty stories high. The ruined shell was less than ten stories in hight.

Kaikiaichi looked down and spotted the white van speeding rapidly along the streets, although the driver did seem to realise that he had lost his pursuers. Suddenly and without warning, the van swerved straight into a pile of rubble and was catapulted from the ground. Riam winced as the vehicle soared high into the air and arced over the road, before crashing down onto its roof at least fifty meters further on. The van continued to skid along the surface, sparks flying from the friction, until it finally slammed into a concrete wall and came to a halt.

Jumping down, Kaikiaichi dashed forwards to check on the driver. As he neared the relatively intact upside-down vehicle, the driver-side door opened and a tall messy-haired Asian man tumbled out, blood running down his face from a gash on his forehead. The driver chuckled as he stumbled to his feet.

Riam blinked. "Are you okay there, mate?" he asked the man.

"Yes, yes," the Asian assured him, "quite fine thank you!"

He spoke perfect English, although with an unmistakable Japanese accent. He was clothed in a white lab coat, underneath which were black trousers, a black shirt and a cream-coloured tie. A small pair of rectangular wire-framed glasses rested on his nose. Riam would guess the man's age at around forty years old, although he was terrible at such estimates.

A moment later, the van's rear side door slid aside, and a blonde-haired girl stepped out. She was wearing a bright yellow tank top underneath a short pair of denim overalls, and a backwards-facing red baseball cap. Her waist-length hair was fixed in twin ponytails, one to each side, with loose bangs framing the front of her face and baby-blue eyes. She looked to be in her late teens, and didn't seem any worse for wear after going through the crash.

"You're okay too I hope, Miss?" Riam asked the girl.

"No problem," she replied, "it's nothing new." The girl looked him over, leaning back against the remains of a red brick wall.

Kaikiaichi picked up a definite American accent in her speech.

Turning to the Japanese man, whose face seemed magically cleared of blood, Riam introduced himself. "I'm Riam Kaikiaichi, wandering traveller and self-appointed vigilante."

"My name is Noriyasu Seta," Seta introduced himself, "I'm an archaeologist. And this is…"

The blonde-haired teenager stepped forward boldly to introduce herself; "I'm Sarah MacDougal."

Riam nodded to each in turn. "So what brings you to Old Sydney?"

Seta pulled a pile of Australian Aboriginal artefacts seemingly from nowhere, and pointed to them. "I've been studying these, as well as Aboriginal rock paintings. Now, you'll notice these designs here, and here," he indicated separate areas on one of the artefacts, "are unmistakably linked to the Ancient Turtle Civilisation!"

Riam blinked. "Turtle Civilisation?" he began to ask, before realising he probably didn't want to know. "Never mind. You're still working on archaeology even after what happened to the planet?"

Sarah shrugged, "What else should we be doing?" she asked in return.

"Good point." Riam acknowledged. "So, where are you off to after this?"

"Well," Seta replied after effortlessly lifting the van up and setting it back down on its wheels, "we were looking for Sydney airport. I left my plane parked there when we arrived. My next plans were to visit the old United States of America."

"You can fly a plane?" Riam asked with interest.

"My daddy can do _anything_!" Sarah insisted happily.

"I can take you to the airport easily enough," Riam offered, "and then… I think I've stayed in Australia long enough. I want to see what's happened to the rest of the world. Can you take me with you?"

"Well sure," Seta agreed, "We'd love to have you along!"

Sarah offered him a small smile. "Guess it couldn't hurt."

A few minutes later, Riam climbed into the front passenger seat of the van, which seemed surprisingly undamaged. He clipped in his seatbelt as the tall archaeologist beside him started the engine and began to drive along the cluttered street at a moderate pace. Riam settled back into his seat, occasionally calling out the appropriate directions to Seta. It was quite a long journey negotiating the broken terrain to the airport, much of which Riam spent listening to Seta talking about some of his past archaeological expeditions. Kaikiaichi wasn't even sure whether or not to believe some of the stories. Seta was either embellishing his tales, or he was Indiana Jones incarnate.

Sarah remained quiet throughout the rough journey, until most of the day had passed and they eventually arrived outside the airport.

Aircraft wreckage was strewn all over the airfield, while several terminal buildings were fire blackened husks. The airport's main control tower had toppled from its once proud position, crashing through the building below it to lie broken along the ground.

Seta drove his van over the remains of a security gate, and out onto the field. He headed towards a group of hangars that looked mostly undamaged.

Pulling to a stop outside the hangars, Noriyasu and his two passengers disembarked.

"Now, I left my aeroplane in this hanger here" the Japanese archaeologist called out, grasping one of the hangar doors and heaving it aside.

Light filtered into the hanger, illuminating the aircraft parked within.

"…That's your plane?" Riam inquired sceptically.

A Royal Australian Airforce F-18 Fighter Jet was housed inside the hangar.

"Hmm," commented Seta while rubbing his chin, "it does look slightly different than mine."

"That's not your plane, dad." Sarah sighed with good-natured exasperation. "You put our aeroplane in the next hangar along, remember?"

"Did I?" Seta chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "well then, I guess this isn't my plane after all!"

Riam glanced across at Sarah inquisitively, silently asking "Is he always like that?"

She nodded, then shrugged.

Meanwhile, Seta had opened up the next hanger and walked in, prompting Riam and Sarah to follow.

Kaikiaichi glanced up at Seta's aeroplane, his eyes taking in the details.

The aircraft was a medium sized prop-driven cargo plane, with a hold large enough to easily accommodate the van along with a very sizeable supply of equipment, provisions, and other cargo. The exterior was painted white, printed with bold black registration numbers reading SETA-05. The cockpit windows were naturally positioned in the upper section at the front of the plane, while each side of the plane's nose featured three cabin windows located below the flight deck.

Leading Riam inside through a side passenger door, Sarah gave him a short tour.

The flight deck contained seats for a pilot and co-pilot, as well as positions for a flight engineer and a passenger. A short staircase located in a compartment directly behind the cockpit lead down to the plane's living quarters that boasted a well-appointed lounge area, galley, two twin-person bunkrooms, a shower, and a head. The cargo bay, accessible from both the living deck and flight deck, naturally occupied the majority of the aircraft. As Sarah took Riam into the cargo area through the door from the living quarters, Seta drove his van onto the plane through the open cargo ramp at the rear of the aircraft.

Kaikiaichi and MacDougal assisted him in securing the white vehicle for flight, before Seta returned outside to take care of refuelling the plane. Sarah followed her father outside to perform a visual inspection of the exterior.

Riam took a closer look around the cargo bay, noticing several crates and stacks of artefacts in various locations around the compartment. He mentally noted to ask Seta for permission to look through them sometime, as some of the artefacts looked very interesting.

Sarah soon reboarded the aircraft, heading up to begin going through a pre-flight checklist as Seta had taught her to do.

"Hey, Riam!" Noriyasu called from the cargo ramp, "Want to come on out and help me check that the runway is clear?"  
Riam was quick to jump to his feet and hurried out to assist.

The Australian vigilante and the Japanese archaeologist walked parallel to each other on either side of the runway Seta planned to use. As they progressed along the strip of tarmac, they each grabbed nearby pieces of debris and removed the hazards from the take-off path. Riam glanced over at Seta, as the tall man grasped a large chunk of metal and hurled it far off the runway.

The Japanese man was obviously incredibly strong, as evidenced by the ease with which he had righted the van earlier. Still, Riam pondered as he grabbed an entire fuselage section and effortlessly tossed it around five hundred meters away, he himself had developed superhuman strength over a decade ago. From what Kaikiaichi had observed though, he was still many times stronger than the taller man.

He also knew that he wasn't the only one who had been affected by such changes. Over the years he had encountered others with special abilities, most of which involved controlling the elements to varying extents. Some of those possessing such power had been friends and allies, while others had been foes.

Riam sighed as he trudged along the runway, memories of the past flowing through his mind. The terror of the Cataclysm striking in the middle of the night, followed by the sickening realisation of the destruction's extent. 

The rescue effort searching for survivors, and later establishing semi-civilised communities for protection and support. 

Conflicts with aggressive factions, and the battles that had changed him into the hardened man he was today. He didn't like what he'd turned into, nor did he hate what he'd become. He resigned himself to the reality that it had happened, he couldn't change it, and he merely adapted to live with it. The discovery of his newfound abilities merely became part of his new stance on life.

Glancing up, the dark-haired Australian sighed and continued on with the task of clearing the path for take off.

Around twenty minutes later, both men returned to the hangar and boarded the aeroplane. Sarah gave her father the green light for checklist completion as she seated herself in the co-pilots position. Seta sat down at the pilot's controls, while Riam seated himself at the flight engineer's console.

The aircraft taxied out from the hangar and onto the runway. As they picked up speed for take-off, Seta spoke back over his shoulder to his new companion. "So, Riam, ever been to Colorado?"

The plane lifted off from the airstrip, leaving the ground and Australia behind them as they headed towards their destination against the backdrop of a dramatic sunset.

***~''~***

****

Even if you don't like SI's, I ask that everyone in the LH section of FF.Net consider this, not a selfish work, but a work for all. Here, we are only interacting with the characters we love on a more personal basis, and trying to tell a good story. It is my (perhaps unrealistic) hope that this fanfiction could unite the various factions in the Love Hina fanfiction empire, into pure enjoyment of the entire genre. And who knows? Maybe we'll score a manga deal with Mr. Akamatsu. Hey, I can dream, can't I? :)

(goes off, humming the "Ghostbusters" theme, b/c he got the soundtrack today ^_^)

NEXT TIME: Kanako Urashima wanders into Chicago, wherein she meets the unveiler of her future... A boy who also carries the name Talon...

IMPORTANT NEWS! 

Due to Lady Kanako's (the authoress) desire to make the story as clean as possible, I can no longer accept any further author characters into this series, aside from those already mentioned or have announced their involvement to me.

Instead, I'm inviting those who can't participate (or, don't want to participate) SI-style, to write about the LH goddesses and the OCs! Short passages about Shinobu and Kana's wandering, snitches of Talon and Mutsumi's doomed romance, Kebinu and Naru's empire building in Colorado, whatever happened to Keitaro-You think it within this Universe, you write it! With full credit to you!

This is the master list of OCs/Authors:

Kevin "Kebinu" Hanson

Lance Waymire

Tuxedo Jack

Eijentu

Silver Raye Adams

Kana Himekazi-Urashima

DigitalAvatar

Shiara

Mint Urashima

Benjamin Doyle Talon

Lucia Tanaka

For those of you who would like to write for any of the LH Charas or OCs, just send them to my e-mail, at ajtalon@hotmail.com


	11. Benjamin Talon

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The Bonds of Time

Chapter 11

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

****

***~''~***

Written by Kebinu, my esteemed colleague and friend. I would have asked my little brother, Ben, to write it himself, but he's more of a poet. And he likes to concentrate on writing for money, rather than fun. (sighs) Oi...

***~''~***

"And Riam... He was another champion?"

"The champion of Lady Suu, actually. He was Seta and Sarah's bodyguard for a long time, and was involved with Sarah, too. But, his is a story best left for later."

"Later? Why later?" 

"Well, you did inquire about my brother, did you not?"

"Can't blame a girl for asking, professor. The man was a total enigma. Even in your books, I never really got a sense of what made him tick."

"To be honest, I didn't have much of one either, Miss Arney," Talon sighed. "Like I said, my brother and I were never particularly close, even for family. After the Cataclysm, it was like he wasn't even my brother any more. And frankly, I don't think he even thought of himself as a human being--more like a human cog."

"Cog, sir?"

"Yes, a cog in the gears of fate. Ben saw himself as more of a means to an end than an individual, if you will. He essentially traded his own destiny for being able to see and guide the destinies of others. That's why I think it's a bit easier to define his life in terms of the lives he touched. And so the scene shifts again."

"Where to?"

"To the Great Lakes. One of Ben's most important, and fondest memories... his first meeting with the woman he would come to serve..."

***~''~***

"A good evening to you, Miss Kanako Urashima."

A black-haired girl paused at those words, and slowly turned to look over her shoulder at a young man standing slightly behind her. Said young man scratched his head, slightly ruffling his curly brown hair, and stepped out from the shadow of an abandoned elevated-train track on what was once upper Wacker Drive, Chicago. Her light brown, almost feline eyes narrowed in thinly veiled suspicion as she regarded him, analyzing him. No major aura of power, physically unthreatening… but she could sense something very peculiar about him.

"Telepath," she said casually. "Am I right? That's how you knew my name."

"As sharp as I expected," the young man smiled. "My name is Benjamin Talon, and I'm quite pleased to meet you. Honored, even. Welcome to Precogg, my town." He offered his hand to her.

"Sarcasm?" the girl shot back, looking at his hand warily. "I'm hardly the type that should be welcomed with open arms. Quite the opposite, really."

"No," replied Ben, shaking his head and looking gravely into her eyes. "If I held any intention of being sarcastic, I would have had my entire city gathered when you arrived, with a brass band and confetti. I truly am glad to meet you. You're the proof of the truth of my visions."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't go to all that trouble for me," she responded curtly, "Because I don't intend to stay long."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Ben answered. "It's enough, though, just to be able to meet you. I must say, you're every bit as stunning as I expected."

"I don't take well to flattery," Kanako growled. "There's always an ulterior motive behind it."

"As cold as rumored," Ben sighed. "Miss Kanako, please do not be so suspicious. I know only snips of information about you, but I've been waiting for you for years. At the least, accept my hospitality."

Kanako regarded him again. She sensed no malicious intent in his words nor any evil in his ki. For now, she would trust him. "Well, Benjamin the telepath… I assume you know why I am here?"

"Not yet," Ben replied, smiling slightly, and offering his hand to her once again. "However, if you would indulge me for just a second…"

She nodded in understanding and grasped his hand, shaking it firmly. Abruptly a flood of people, places and events poured into Ben's brain. He had long grown accustomed to this unnatural sensation, which formed the base of his powers, and had learned to decipher and process it at near computer-like speed. He let his brain connect the dots, make order from chaos.

The future was revealed.

"Goddess of darkness, from the land of the rising sun. How ironic," Ben spoke quietly. "Miss Kanako, would you humor me and join me for dinner? I have much to discuss with you, and I would prefer not to do it in the middle of the street."

"Very well," Kanako responded, letting the faintest ghost of a smile cross her lips. "Just know that I may take off and leave at any time, if I feel like it."

"You are welcome to," Ben responded smoothly, as he walked down the street and gestured for her to follow. "This is a free community."

* * *

"It must have been difficult."

"Hmm?" Kanako paused, looking up from her dinner. She was eating conservatively, rice with wasabi sauce and some grilled salmon. It had been a long time since she had been able to indulge herself in the foodstuffs of her homeland, and did not wish for her stomach to take a shock to it.

"What you have been through, I mean," Ben responded, across the table from her. "You seem to leave a trail of blood in your wake."

"What choice did I have?" she responded sourly, looking out the window of the restaurant towards the darkened waters of Lake Michigan. "I've had to fight my whole life. From the time I was a little girl…"

"Being put up for adoption, growing up with no friends, being separated from your beloved brother, and finding out that his heart belonged to another. Quite a tragic existence. And then, with the Cataclysm."

"For a while I thought I was a changed person, after that day so many years ago," Kanako frowned. "I felt like, after that day, I didn't want to be alone any more. I didn't have _onii-chan_ at my side, but… they were enough, for a while."

"The girls you once called your enemies. Rivals, then friends… finally, even a lover."

"I don't know why they cared about me," Kanako said blankly, staring at her food. "I was nothing special. But for five years we fought for our lives in the land of our birth, and we were as tight as the threads in a kimono. And they kept me at their sides, even though I didn't have any powers. I couldn't control fire like Naru could, I wasn't a mechanical genius like Su, I couldn't heal the sick like Shinobu… all I had were these hands."

"The hands that have taken the lives of over a thousand men," Ben spoke softly. "The hands that protected the very same girls you once accused of stealing your brother from you. The hands that comforted them when they were unable to carry on."

"Once again, I don't understand why they came to me," Kanako sighed. "But Motoko and Naru both cried on my shoulder when they lost their sisters. Motoko's died on that first horrible day, and Naru's was killed in the civil war in Japan. At a time like that, I didn't know how to comfort, didn't know what to say to them. But I think… maybe I came to understand that others were feeling the pain of loss just as I did."

"And you opened your heart to Aoyama."

"In retrospect, it couldn't have lasted long, but it made enough sense to me. Neither of us were graced with any special powers; we simply fought the way we had been trained to do. We came to rely on each other, and eventually… eventually, trust turned to lust."

"And she made you happy. You had found your glimmer of light amidst the darkness. Something snuffed that light out, however, and your relationship with Miss Motoko fell apart. That wedge that had always existed between you and the other girls was driven back in anew. You and I both know what, or perhaps I should say who, it was…"

Kanako sipped her red wine delicately and sighed. "_Onii-chan_…"

"And he is now the reason you wound up alone again, wandering a foreign land halfway around the world from your home, searching vainly for his whereabouts. It's a fate I would wish on no one. My condolences go out to you, from the bottom of my heart," Ben concluded, bowing his head.

"Please, I don't require anyone's sympathy," Kanako responded, holding up a hand. "I'm a woman who invites misfortune. It is my nature…"

"If that is how you feel," Ben nodded in deference, and resumed his steak dinner.

"Tell me, telepath," the Japanese girl said evenly, "What do you see in my future?"

Ben looked up, and a wry smile crossed his features. "Are you truly sure you want to know?" he queried. "More importantly, if I did tell you, and the events were not desirable to you, would you try to change them? And even if you did try, could the future really be changed?"

"You speak in riddles, American," Kanako growled, narrowing her eyes. "I hate it when people do that."

"Forgive me," Ben laughed lightly. "I only wished to give you some idea of the paradoxes that my clairvoyance entails. It's a burden I'm quite glad you don't have to bear."

"Tell me what you saw," Urashima insisted. "I can handle it."

"Very well," Talon intoned, taking a swig of water from a glass and then resting his hands on the table, peering over them at Kanako, his hazel eyes seeming to bore right into her. Kanako was impressed with his quiet intensity, having long sought to develop such an air about herself.

"Be as specific or general as you want," she responded, fixing him with an intense glare of her own. "But I expect you to be honest with me."

"In time," Ben began, closing his eyes, "You will become a goddess. While you walk the world as an ordinary immortal now, in a century's time you will receive the power of darkness from someone close to you."

"Could it by my aunt, Haruka?" Kanako responded intently. "If I remember correctly, darkness is one of her powers."

"Indeed," Ben nodded. "You and Aoyama will become the heirs to Haruka of the storm, her powers divided between the two of you. After that… centuries of war and bloodshed. Ambition, jealousy, greed and hatred, all revolving around that boy…"

"That boy… _onii-chan_?!" Kanako exclaimed, startled.

"Keitaro Urashima," Ben confirmed. "The subject of a blood feud between a cadre of women who had once been friends, the catalyst for not one but two world wars. I see the rise and fall of an empire… a second empire rising to take its place and that falling as well. I see genocide… the land bathed in blood. Kanako, you will play an important part in these conflicts in the centuries to come. Your fate will not be a happy one, nor an easy one. But…"

"But?" Kanako prodded impatiently.

"If it is any consolation, you will find love. This news at least, I can comfort you with," Ben concluded, smiling slightly. "Of course, this is all relative."

"Relative to what?" Kanako asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Relative to whether you decide to accept this destiny. There are certain rules of fate that cannot be broken, even when the future is known, but anything that cannot be broken can surely be bent."

"What choice do I have?" Kanako responded with a cold laugh. "From what you say, each of us immortals has a part to play in the coming centuries. And if there's one thing I'm renowned for, it's my acting skills."

"Well spoken, Miss Urashima," Ben chuckled. "Your reputation as a master of disguise precedes you, of course. I daresay none could play the part of the goddess of darkness better."

"What did I tell you about flattering me, boy?" Kanako shot back, smirking, as she dabbed her face with a silk napkin. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll need to be arranging myself some lodging. And before you offer to put me up for the night," she added, noting his opening mouth, "I decline. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Well then, madam," Ben replied smoothly, standing up, "May I at least see you to the door?"

"You may," Kanako replied, sliding out of her chair and affixing the hem of her traveling cloak around her neck.

* * *

"Miss Kanako, I would like to call your attention to our hotel district. It's half a mile south of here," Ben announced as they stepped out of the restaurant, pointing down the darkened street. "Make a right at the ruins of the Sears Tower."

"Thank you, I think," Kanako responded. "Was that a little shameless self-promotion I detected?"

"What can I say?" the precognitive American laughed. "This is my town, after all. I have to do everything I can to help it grow."

"Your dedication to your town is admirable. I will remember that. Tell me one last thing, prophet Benjamin…" she drawled. "Do you know where my brother is right now?"

Ben shook his head. "Even I don't know. But I certainly know he is alive. And in time, your paths will cross, though under what circumstances, I cannot promise you. If you choose to walk the destiny I have seen for you, you will surely meet your brother, Keitaro, again."

"That's enough for me," Kanako replied, nodding, as she turned away and began to walk down the street. "I thank you for your hospitality and your kindness, Benjamin Talon, but I must be on my way for now. The reaper is always a step behind me…"

"And a lovely evening to you too, Miss Urashima," Ben replied, bowing towards her retreating form, which seemed to melt into the darkness like a living shadow. "Until we meet again…"

***~''~***

"Peas in a pod." Talon fixed Arney with a quizzical expression.

"Mm?"

"Well," said Arney, her words careful and precise, " nearly everyone else Lady Kanako has met she either burned or just didn't get along with them. In this way, she and Ben seemed to have a closer connection than some of Lady Kanako's other associates. Aside from Kana, of course." Arney met the professor's gaze, a smile on the edge of her lips.

"Ben's powers worked both ways, in a sense, whish helped other to trust him," Talon explained after a pause, looking thoughtful. "He could know virtually everything about a person with a single touch, but the person he was scanning could also pick up glimpses of my brother's past... Present... Future..." Talon heaved a great sigh, looking up at the ceiling.

"This... From personal experience?"

"Nope," Talon said, a sardonic smile meeting Arney's vision when the professor looked back down at her, "Aside from Lady Mutsumi, I've never let any telepaths near my mind if I could help it." Arney raised an eyebrow.

"Couldn't trust them?" The immortal shrugged.

"Well, my esper sense told me if anyone had hostile intentions toward me, so I did trust _most_ people... However, even ESP can be deceived. First mention of psychic powers and I was battle-ready, to be completely honest."

"_That_ didn't seem to help you much against the forces attacking Queen Lye of Atlanta, now did it?"

"Oh, you had to bring _that_ up..."

***~''~***

****

Atlanta:_ city, capital of Georgia, U.S., and seat (1853) of Fulton county (but also partly in De Kalb county). It lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, just south of the Chattahoochee River. Atlanta is Georgia's largest city and the principal trade and transportation centre of the southeastern United States._

The city owes its existence to the railroads, the routes of which were determined by geography. Lying as it does at the southern extremity of the Appalachian Mountains, it became the gateway through which most overland traffic had to pass between the southern seaboard and the region to the west. In 1837 a spot near what is now Five Points, in the centre of the present-day city, was selected for the southern terminus of a railroad to be built northward to Chattanooga,Tenn. The location was first known as Terminus and then as Marthasville; at its incorporation as a city in 1845, it was named Atlanta for the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Several other rail lines had converged on the city by 1860.

Atlanta still occupies a position of strategic importance at the focal point of a network of rail lines and interstate highways. Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport, 8 miles (13 km) southwest of downtown Atlanta, opened in 1980 and has become one of the nation's busiest airports. Atlanta remains the financial and commercial capital of the Southeast and is its most important distribution centre. Printing and publishing, government services, and banking and insurance are supplemented by industries producing automobiles, electronics and electrical equipment, chemicals, processed foods, and pulp and paper products. Atlanta is also the focus of federal government activity in the Southeast and is the headquarters of the Sixth Federal Reserve District. The city itself is relatively small but is surrounded by a sprawl of low-density suburbs.

"Encyclopaedia Britannica. You have any idea how long it's been since I saw one of these?"

"Twelve years at least, I'm guessing." Lucia Tanaka took the dusty, worn book from Talon and tossed it onto the center table. It was nearly-literally littered with numerous atlases, schematics, and other material that would have fit right into a garage sale only a decade ago. In the small conference room, in the Lockheed Martin Production Plant in Marietta, Georgia, they were some of the best logistical planning tools available. 

Tanaka strode to the head of the room, a number of other well-armed troopers sitting or standing around the wooden staff table. Mutsumi was sitting in one chair near the front, a chair Talon stood behind protectively. Lucia turned, sighed, and pulled down a map of Atlanta. She pulled a slim twig, and pointed at the center of the map.

"As most of you know, Queen Lady Lye united the various factions and gangs in Atlanta, in order to build a better Georgia. She chose the old Capital Building as her base of operations, and for the last four years, things have been going quite smoothly." Mutsumi felt Lucia's stare intensify on herself and Talon, and knew that her suspicion that this meeting was simply for _their_ benefit, not Lucia's troops, had been confirmed. Tanaka continued.

"However, in the last four months, a rival gang known as the Bulldogs, outside of the city, here," Lucia said, indicating the campus of the University of Georgia, "has begun attacks and large raids against us. They have access to the old Army Base between Athens and Atlanta, Fort McPherson, and thus have a sizable force of guns, tanks, and armored vehicles." Lucia rubbed her eyes, and Mutsumi did not need to be a telepath to know that the silver-haired girl was exhausted underneath her prim, military exterior. Her fatigue came and went, as Lucia fixed her troops with a serious gaze.

"We're here to refit and reactive the Raptor program. Our basic mission is to get every aircraft we can put together and find, fly them to Hartfield airport, where they'll be fitted with air-to-ground munitions that aren't available here, and essentially waste the Bulldog forces." Lucia turned a severe eye to her subordinates, who all stood at attention.

"You know your duties. Now, back on patrol! Dismissed!" As a single entity, the men and women in camouflage cloaks marched out of the room, leaving the telepath, the boy, and the lightening wielder alone. Lucia took a deep breath, collapsing in the chair at the head of the table. Talon tentatively moved his hand over hers.

"I wondered... About you..." Lucia murmured quietly, her harsh command dropped away. "Whether you were still alive, still living..."

"As... Did I," Talon replied in a slim whisper, squeezing Lucia's delicate hand to reinforce his sincerity. Tanaka looked up into his eyes, piercing and icy blue.

"I've... I never had anyone else, like you..." Lucia trailed off, closing her eyes against some moisture, as she pulled close to the Coloradoan and held him in a warm embrace. Slightly awkwardly, Talon rubbed the girl's back, fully aware of Mutsumi watching them. Lucia pulled back after a few more minutes, smiling with shining eyes, as she stood up and walked out the door.

_She cares for you, _Mutsumi said telepathically. Talon nodded, an unnecessary action.

_Yes... I know. Is that a problem?_

_No, no... I was just mentioning it. _Mutsumi's "sense" seemed to indicate she was smiling. 

_I think it's rather cute, actually._ Talon sighed.

_If it helps her... What do have on their minds here?_

_They've nearly finished twenty Raptors,_ Mutsumi began, _and have outfitted each of them with two Sidewinder missiles each. Lucia made some modifications to their radar systems, engines, and cockpits, to improve stealth and speed. She's also managed to turn them into two seater strike fighters, albeit cramped ones._

Yeah, I saw an article in "Popular Science" magazine along those lines...

_Lucia's powers of directing electricity have allowed her to be a kind of human welder/grafter/electronics expert all rolled into one. She's the main reason they've progressed so quickly._

The munitions at Hartfield?

GBU-117, laser-guided bombs. Lucia built them herself.

And they launch... When?

_Later tonight. Ara..._

_Hm... And on the Bulldogs?_

_The one called Thompson recalled seeing a girl throwing blasts of light from her hands on a recon mission two weeks ago. Ara... I suspect another demi-goddess is abusing her powers._

_And, unfortunately, I suspect we're going to have to deal with her._

Ara...

***~''~***

"So, did you fight her?"

"The demi-goddess Nicole, leader of the Bulldogs? Yep. Mutsumi absorbed the information from another pilot's mind and gave it to me, so that we could both fly the F-22s. But, I'd rather not touch on that... Right now, anyway."

"Fair enough. So..."

"So?" Arney rolled her eyes.

"So, while you were doing all this, what were Kebinu and Naru up to?"

"They returned to Denver, and began taking over territory, building alliances and sowing the seeds of what, years later, would become a full-fledged empire. That's the short version. Empires, as you know, are not built overnight…" he trailed off.

"…but?"

"But what?" Talon frowned.

"I assumed from that pause, you were going to go on?"

"Tsk, tsk," Talon scolded, cracking a grin. "Miss Arney, what happens when you assume?"

"You make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me,'" she replied smoothly. "Come on, sir, that was an old joke even in your time. So what happened that you were leaving out?"

"Well, it's nothing truly important in the scope of things," he admitted, "But before they could get back, they had to figure out how to open that door… and that, incidentally, explains how Kebinu came by his weapon…"

***~''~***

****

Mwahahaha! Behold my awesome, evil cliff-hanger powers!

NEXT TIME: Kebinu and Naru find the Fire axe in the mountains, while Kitsune meets her champions in the most unlikely of ways...

****

Same rules in last chapter apply here. Write and send it in! R&R!

News: I'm not sure whether or not I should go into the era between the formation of the Dual Empires and the LHFBW. Lady Kanako originally gave the challenge of writing THAT prequel to Silver Raye Adams. What about it, Silver-chan? Would you like to start work on your prequel, at the same time I'm working on mine? That'd be kind of cool, actually... 


	12. Kebinu's Interlude: Axe Without a Name

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 12

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

"Well?"

"…what do you mean, 'well'?" Kebinu snapped, glancing back at his companion in irritation.

Naru folded her arms and shifted her weight onto her good leg, fixing him with a glare. "Did you put the code in?"

"Of course I did! What did you think I was doing, playing Tetris on the damn control panel?" he barked, stomping a foot on the ground.

"Judging from what happened, it's not out of the question," Naru shot back, pointing at the gigantic steel door within the Eisenhower Tunnel, which remained shut as tight as it had ever been. "Are you sure you got the right code?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" he shouted in frustration, conjuring a fireball to better examine the sheet of paper in the cavernous and dimly lit tunnel. "It says right at the top, 'the secret code to open the way forward.'"

"Which means exactly jack and shit," Naru countered, rubbing her forehead. "Notice that it doesn't say, 'the secret code to open the damn giant door in the damn Eisenhower Tunnel."

"Do you see any _other _doors around here?!" Kebinu yelled, waving his arms in the air. And at that very moment, apparently just to spite him, the control console emitted a loud _beep_ and the door opened. Not the giant twenty-feet-wide, five-feet-thick steel door, mind you, but rather a normal-sized door cut into the concrete right next to the console. He could feel Naru's smug grin from ten feet away.

"As a matter of fact—"

"Not a word out of you, gimpy girl," Kebinu growled over his shoulder. "Wait here, I'm going to investigate."

"What?! You're leaving me out here? You jerk, I oughta—ouch!" Naru grunted as she tried to put pressure on her injured ankle to walk and instantly made a face indicating she regretted doing so.

"Calm down, I'll only be a minute," he replied with a wave of his hand as he trod into the darkened hallway.

Ten minutes later, he let out a loud curse and stomped the floor—a floor, which, incidentally, had stopped being concrete at some point and converted to rock, on which he'd caught his toes more than once. One would think it would be difficult to get lost in an access corridor that by all means should only have one entrance and one exit.

Which is precisely why he was trying not to think about it at this very moment. Instead he elected to punch the wall and curse again. What the hell was the point of this tunnel? It would make sense if it was just a short, curving pathway to get around the steel door and come out on the other side, but instead this passage was taking him deeper and deeper into the mountainside. Furthermore, it branched off continuously, and judging by the slope and change in temperature it was dropping down in elevation. 

"God, now I'm lost, and Naru's probably pissed off at me. This cannot get any worse…"

And, like clockwork, it inevitably _did _get worse as the flame he was holding in his hand to light the way snuffed out, leaving him in total darkness. He immediately conjured another flame, and it too winked out of existence—although before it did, it changed its shape, flattening out from a sphere into…

"…an arrow?" he murmured, staring down at his hand in mystification.

He tried again. Once again, the flame flattened into an arrow before vanishing after a few seconds. This time, he glanced up in time to see that there were three passageways cut into the rock in front of him, and that the arrow had indicated the one to his right. For a second he pondered the meaning of what he had seen; actually, the meaning was fairly obvious, so it was closer to hesitation.

"Well, what the hell," he shrugged after a moment's deliberation. "Here's hoping I'm not gonna get chased by any rolling rocks…"

Following the pathway, he felt a sharp change in the passage's vertical direction. He was now working against a steep upwards incline, finding the rock beneath him growing increasingly slippery, and keeping his footing in total darkness was precarious, to say the least.

"What in the hell happened to this rock?" he growled, glancing futilely down but still unable to see anything. "It's so slippery, it's almost like it was…"

__

Drip.

"…wet…"

He quickly conjured another fireball. Once again, it lasted but a few seconds, but he had enough time to catch the reflection of the fire from the floor.

Limestone is not a reflective surface, by the way.

"Crap. Water," he mumbled, lifting his foot and stomping it down, hearing a light _splash_. "What's next?"

He put his foot out to take another step and instantly regretted asking, as his foot found nothing but empty air to tread on. Flailing wildly, determined not to fall forwards lest it be a bottomless pit or something worse, he tipped backwards, losing his footing and crashing to the wet rock floor with a curse. Shaking himself off, he got onto his hands and knees, crawling forwards until his hands felt a sheer edge dropping downwards. Slowing his breathing, he could hear running water.

"Fire."

He spoke the word aloud for extra emphasis as he summoned another fireball, seeking to keep it from going out. The flame appeared in his hand, and with some extra effort he was able to maintain it bright enough to see, but the balance was precarious. He could practically feel the power flow out of him, as though it was being attracted and absorbed into something…

Glancing down, he could see a small, rectangular pool of water, approximately ten feet deep by five feet wide and long, fed by a spring flowing through a crack in the rock wall. The water was cold and crystal clear, and he was able to easily see to the bottom, at which something appeared to be resting, though the trickling water meant the surface never smoothed out and therefore refraction was constant. As a result, all he could make out of the object at the bottom was an unrecognizable shape that emitted a dim red glow.

Moving his face closer to the water's surface, he squinted to no avail in an attempt to identify the object. As he looked up, still squinting, something caught the corner of his eye and he quickly turned to look at his hand. He could see that the fireball in it was shrinking in size, tiny wisps of fire coming off of the main flame and trailing through the air towards the pool, at which point they angled downwards and became tiny red streaks racing towards the bottom. He looked between the object and his hand for a few seconds and drew the obvious conclusion.

"It's absorbing fire," he murmured. "What is that thing? …well, I guess there's one way to find out…"

Shutting his eyes and concentrating, he focused his powers to their utmost. Pressing the balls of his feet into the slippery rock, teeth mashed together, he raised his hands and felt a large fireball appear between them over his head. Fighting against the draining sensation coming from the submerged object, which was now starting to glow more brightly, he continued to gather power until the fireball was two feet in diameter, then with a single, violent motion, swung his arms forwards and down. The fireball raced from his hands and struck the loud water with an explosive _hiss_, vaporizing the cold liquid and sending massive clouds of steam into the air, which quickly condensed and clung to the rock walls. Opening his eyes with a loud gasp after the effort expended to generate the fireball, he looked down to see the water's depth now reduced to about two inches, and the object was clearly visible.

"No way…"

He was greeted with the sight of a long, slimly tapered metal shaft, measuring approximately six and a half feet, at one end of which two sharply swept cutting blades protruded, split by a sharpened spike in the middle. At the other end, two dull but swept-back pieces of metal, which now glowed cherry red, were affixed to the other end of the weapon. It appeared to be an oversized double-headed halberd or mast axe.

"An axe? What the hell is it doing here?" he mumbled to himself. Curiosity getting the better of him, he sat down on the ledge and dropped into the hole. Landing with a splash in the shallow water, he picked up the axe by the handles in the middle and nearly screamed in surprise as power abruptly flowed through his arms. He looked down to the bottom of the axe again, to the swept-back devices near the end, where the power seemed to be flowing from.

__

Those things must have been what was absorbing my fire, he noted, _but for what reason_?

For a moment he pondered it, before being interrupted by the trickling of a stream of water. He looked up to the lip of the pool.

Ten feet above him.

"Shit!" he shouted, angrily stomping his foot, resulting in a splash. "Now how am I gonna get back up?!"

He looked around. Water had started flowing back into the pool again from the spring; he could wait for it to refill and float to the top. However, it would take hours or days for that to happen, and in the meantime Naru would be left all alone. Clearly, that was not an option.

He tried jumping up, but came up about half a foot short of the lip—and the slick, wet surface meant he couldn't get a grip anyway. Next he tried getting a running start and performing a wall kick, but a chasm only five feet wide was not enough room to get up speed.

In frustration he jammed the sharpened spike on the top end of the axe down into the rock—and gasped in surprise when it tore into the limestone like a knife into butter. Having been struck with an idea, he pulled the axe out, and drove it into the side wall, a few feet off the ground. Once again, the head of the axe embedded itself in the wall. Next, he set his foot on top of it, testing the shaft's strength. Seeing that it did not bend when he placed his weight on it, he carefully wedged himself between the axe and the wall, shimmied up the wall with his back to it so that he was above the axe, then pushed out, leaving him balancing on top of the weapon. He then slowly turned himself around, bracing himself against the other walls for balance, and finally made a leap from the axe up to the top, scrambling over the ledge, then reaching back down to remove the axe and bring it up with him. Beaming with satisfaction, he sat down to catch his breath—and realized his next problem.

"Great… now how do I find my way back?" he mumbled, looking down the rocky corridor. He stood and took a few tentative steps, and as if to answer him, the luminosity of the axe increased slightly. It seemed to be responding to something.

"Naru?" he murmured. "If this absorbs fire, then… is it reacting to her power?" 

He glanced down at the axe again, then shrugged.

"Well, what the hell. I haven't got any BETTER ideas…"

***~''~***

Retracing his steps, letting the axe make his decisions for him by observing the intensity of the glow of the two swept-back devices on the bottom, he found himself traveling down the steep slope, and then back up the more gentle incline of before, the sound of water fading, and eventually a dim orange light became apparent to him.

"Must be Naru," he smiled. "She's probably using a fireball to light the tunnel, or something. Wait'll she sees _this_ thing."

Another half minute and he now was in the access corridor from before. Breathing a sigh of relief, he stepped out of the doorway into the main tunnel.

"Hey, Naru, guess what—"

"_YOU BASTARD_!!!!!"

Kebinu's eyes widened in alarm. He was greeted with the sight of Naru Narusegawa, wearing a face of unmitigated rage, holding a fireball some ten feet in diameter over her head.

"Do you realize how long you've been gone?!" she roared before he could even say a word, at the top of her lungs. "I've been left out here all by myself! You insensitive _bakayaro_!!!"

"Swearing in Japanese. Not good," Kebinu mumbled to himself, a second before Naru confirmed it for him by summarily flinging the gigantic fireball right at him. Letting out a rather unmanly cry of terror, he vainly held out the axe in front of him to shield himself, and braced for the burning sensation that would precede his untimely demise.

Except it didn't come.

Eyes wide in amazement, he stared down at the axe, which had simply sucked Naru's fireball right out of the air and channeled it into the two devices on the bottom end. Said devices now glowed with incredible brightness. The axe began to vibrate in his hands, growing steadily more violent. He by all accounts should have simply dropped the axe and run for it, but clear thinking eluded him, and all he could do was stare dumbly at it.

"Hey," Naru started, seemingly noticing the axe for the first time, "Where did you get—"

Her words were drowned out as the two swept-back devices on the bottom of the axe abruptly discharged an enormous, concentrated beam of fire through the bottom of the shaft, which just happened to be pointed at the enormous metal door. Said beam struck said door and wasted no time in cutting a line straight through the thick steel, cleaving the door neatly into two halves, which then toppled over, leaving the tunnel unobstructed.

For just a moment, neither spoke, choosing to ogle the weapon, which now no longer glowed or shook.

"Capacitors," Kebinu breathed after a few seconds. "That's what those things on the bottom are. They absorb fire and then amplify and discharge it. Cool."

"Um… what the hell just happened?" Naru stammered. "Where the hell were you?"

"Figuring out how to open the door, of course," Kebinu replied, giving her an 'I-meant-to-do-that' smile and flashing the V sign. "Guess we can be on our way."

"Good," she replied, apparently trying to disguise her surprise at what had just happened. "My car or yours?"

"Well, mine is a BMW 300-series convertible. What's yours?"

"…a Microbus," she muttered, looking at the ground.

Kebinu bit so hard into his lip to keep from laughing that he nearly drew blood. "We'll stick with my car… it should be at the east end of the tunnel. Let's go," he replied, setting Naru back on the ATV and holding the axe in one hand as they sped off down the tunnel.

Five minutes later, they were in fading daylight at the east entrance to the tunnel, the four-wheeler parked next to his car. Kebinu set Naru in the passenger's seat and made his way around back, the axe slung over his shoulder.

Naru ran a hand over the smooth leather interior, admiring the exquisitely maintained German auto, and noting his suitcases and garment bags in the back seats. "So this is really your car, huh?" she murmured absentmindedly as she reclined her seat and sunk back into the soft leather.

"Yeah, it was my parting gift from the people I spent ten years protecting," he answered wryly as he set the axe in the trunk and circled around to drop into the driver's seat next to her.

"So where were you off to in this car, anyway?"

"I was heading deeper into the mountains, to a little town called Breckinridge," he sighed, glancing westward at the towering peaks of the Rockies. "When I was sixteen, my father took me to Colorado on a skiing trip, and I just fell in love with the place. It was this beautiful little town, tucked up in the mountains, covered with snow… when I saw it, I realized I wanted to live there someday. Just find a nice girlfriend, move up there, and be content with my life… that was my dream. Now of course, it seems pretty stupid, huh? I mean, most guys want to be rich and famous, have women hanging all over them… I had the lamest dreams," he shrugged with a weak laugh, turning to see Naru shake her head.

"No, it's not stupid. I think I understand," she replied, gazing at the mountains. "There was a time when I had a dream like that. When I was going to live happily ever after with someone." She lowered her head and her body shuddered slightly. "Keitaro…"

"The guy you were searching for?" Kebinu asked, and she nodded in reply.

"Yeah," she said, turning to look at him, a slight smile crossing her features and her eyes shimmering just a bit. "It took me a while to realize it, but he was… a very important person to me."

He couldn't help but note the change in her personality when the name _Keitaro_ came up. "Did you… love him?" he prodded gently.

Naru's brow furrowed, and she looked away nervously. "Yes… no… I don't know. God, I just didn't know. Does it even matter now? He's probably dead… that idiot never could take care of himself. He was hopeless without me… that's why I wish… I'd gotten to him in time…"

"So that's it, you just gave up on him?" Kebinu queried. "Naru… there are some things you seem to have trouble saying, but the way you act speaks volumes. Tell me… how did he feel about you?"

"He liked me. A lot," she answered quietly, looking down, her voice shaking. "No, he loved me. He told me so himself… you see, the two of us knew each other when we were little kids, and we swore we were going to get into Tokyo University together. And I didn't think he could do it—hell, I didn't think _I _could do it—but we did. Somehow, we did. And after everything we went through together, and we were finally happy… _this_ happened."

"Naru, I'll tell you what."

She looked up, brushing her left eye with her fingers. "Hmm?"

"Don't give up on finding Keitaro. Let's look at this another way. If we go back to Denver and clean house there, word will get out about us… and the more influential you are, the more information you can get. You might just find out what happened to him."

Naru sat there for a moment, as though pondering, then nodded. "All right, what the hell. And when I find that guy, he's gonna pay for making me worry about him like this!" she proclaimed loudly, smacking her fist into her palm. "Honestly, making a girl worry about his dumb ass for all these long years… I'm going to get wrinkles because of him!"

"You don't age, remember?" Kebinu smiled, already sensing Naru was back to her usual self.

"Shut up, you," she growled, shooting him a dirty glance. "Now take me back to my car, there's some things I need to get."

***~''~***

"What in the _hell_ is this?!" Kebinu sputtered, gaping at the enormous stack of paper Naru had dropped in his hands. It looked liked it easily topped 500 pages.

"Your employment contract," Naru responded brightly, grinning as she thrust a pen at him. "Just to make things official."

"You're kidding me," he muttered, slowly letting his eyes shift to the paper. "Fine, whatever," he growled, snatching the pen from her and turning to the last page, laying his pen to the contract to sign it.

"Aren't you going to read it?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"Look, Naru, I have several powers, but speed reading isn't one of them," he replied testily. "Besides, no one ever reads all the way through legal documents," he added as he scribbled his signature into the contract and handed it back to her.

"Well, okay. But if _I_ were signing my life over to someone, I would have at least checked the conditions," Naru replied matter-of-factly as she took the contract back from him. 

For a moment both were silent as he sat there and simply blinked at her.

"…huh?"

"See?" she immediately responded, flipping it open to a random page somewhere in the 200s. "'Signee agrees to become the empress's personal domestic servant, chauffer and all-around bitch.'"

"What?! It can't say that—" he started, before being cut off as she shoved the contract in his face, allowing him to confirm that it did_ indeed_ say that.

"Oooh, here's another good one," Naru giggled as she read through the contract again. "'Signee agrees that the signee will forego all negotiating rights regarding working conditions and hours, and receive pay raises only when the empress feels like it.'"

"What's all this 'empress' crap?" Kebinu stammered. "You're not an empress!"

"_Yet_," she replied, a giddy but somewhat frightening smile on her face. "Ah, here's another nice one. 'Signee must do any damn fool thing the empress says, up to and including the Chicken Dance.'"

__

"What?!" he screamed angrily, his eyebrow twitching.

Naru shrugged, scratching her head and beaming. "What can I say? It's a catchy little ditty."

"What in the hell have I gotten myself into?" he muttered into the dashboard as he laid his head on the steering wheel again. "You've got way too much time on your hands if you were able to come up with a contract like this…" 

"Come on now, no moping," said Naru, rapping him lightly on the head. "We've got work to do, so let's get on our way."

"But…" he started, "Can't we just go to Breckinridge for a little while first? I just want to see it again…"

"No way. It's out of the way, and besides, the snows will be coming soon. I don't want to get stranded up there," she replied, folding her arms sternly.

"Well, there goes my fantasy of being snowbound in a house with her and only one blanket…" Kebinu sighed to himself under his breath. "She'd probably just take it and let me freeze, anyway…"

"Did you say something?"

"Not a thing," he replied smoothly and went to put the car in gear.

"Hold it, Mr. Smartass," Naru said with considerable force, leading him to haul his hand back from the gearshift immediately. "I think you need a little lesson about just who wears the pants around here."

***~''~***

"Look, Naru, I don't know if you have some kind of power fetish or what, but this was overkill!" Kebinu snapped angrily as he took his eyes off the road momentarily to glare down at his lap.

"What?" Naru replied evenly from the passenger's seat, glancing over at him, her long hair whipping out behind her in the wind. "I told you I was going to show you who wears the pants in this relationship. Besides, I must say, you have some mighty comfortable pants."

"But isn't this a bit too _literal_?! Why the hell didn't you just ask for one of my _extra pairs_ instead of taking _mine_?!" he wailed, pointing at his lap and glaring at her. "Or at least… at least you didn't have to make me wear your skirt!"

"Oh come on, don't be like that. It looks good on you," Naru cooed teasingly, patting the pleated red folds that now covered his legs to the knees.

"Gah! I don't want to be told I look good in a skirt!" he howled, flushing. "And it's so drafty! I'm so cold I'm gonna have to put the top up in a minute!"

"Stop whining. Besides, I bet a perv like you really enjoys wearing the same skirt I wore."

"Don't bring that up!" he wailed, shaking his head quickly to clear it of the inevitable naughty thoughts. "God, why me?"

"Oh, settle down," she responded again, and this time he detected a playful note in her voice, just before she leaned across the center armrest and laid her head against his shoulder, provoking a startled gasp.

"N-Naru…?" he murmured, suddenly very quiet.

"Look at it this way," she said softly. "I can already tell you'll make a good assistant. You did just what I said, right away, with no complaining. Well, not _too_ much, anyway…"

"Should I take that as a compliment?" he replied uncertainly, concentrating very hard on the road and trying to ignore how warm her cheek felt against his arm.

"Yes, you should. I kinda like you," she confirmed. "And I appreciate you agreeing to help me look for Keitaro; it was very gentlemanly. So I'll tell you what… if it turns out I can't find him, then you could consider this a foot in the door…"

His eyebrows shot halfway up his forehead. "A-are you serious?"  


"I am," she replied as she sat back up again and settled back in her seat. "But! That won't happen until I know for SURE what happened to him, so I expect your full cooperation, got it?"

"Yes, empress, I understand," he replied quickly, using the title for the first time. 

"So, I'll be the empress Naru, and you'll be my faithful retainer, Kebinu," Naru started, smiling. "Wielder of the mighty axe… what do you call that thing, anyway?"

"Huh?" He frowned, confused.

"Doesn't it have a name?"  


"Not as far as I know," he shrugged.

"You should give it one, then. In Japan, sword smiths hundreds of years ago would name the blades they forged. We not only learned the names of the great heroes in our legends, but also the names of their weapons."

"Really?"

"Well, not me, personally. Motoko just told me that," Naru shrugged.

"Who's Motoko?" he frowned.

"A friend of mine. I'll have to tell you about them all, sometime. You might meet them someday."

"Are any of them cute and/or single?"

"None of your business, pervert," she replied. "So are you going to name that thing or not?"

"Well, I haven't really done anything with it to _warrant_ naming it yet. Ask me again sometime later," he replied, indicating he had nothing else to say on the matter. He leaned back and rested his head against the headrest, moving his eyes to take in the scenery around him; the mountain terrain rushing past him, the wind in his ears, the setting sun behind the peaks, the beautiful girl next to him—

"What are you doing?" she spoke over the wind as she watched his hand reach behind his seat and dig into his garment bag.

"Something I'd promised myself a long time ago that I'd do someday," he responded as he pulled a compact disc out of the bag and slid it into the opening in the console. "Please allow me this little indulgence, empress."

"All right," she nodded and leaned back, closing her eyes as the sound of synthetic drums and an electric guitar filtered through the speakers. "I can appreciate the importance of a promise…"

He nodded in thanks and said no more. For a few seconds neither spoke. Then she cracked an eye open and glanced at him.

"I've never heard this song before," she said. "It sounds kinda melancholy… but determined."

"Yeah," he responded, watching the road as he flipped the headlights on. "It's, uh, kind of an oldie."

"…do you know the words?"

"Yeah. I've been listening to it since I was a little kid."

"Then… sing for me."

"I, uh, empress… god, this song's kinda at the top of my range, I'd rather not—"

"Just shut up and do it," she growled in annoyance, conjuring a fireball for incentive.

"Okay, okay!" he said quickly, starting to sweat, and sucked in a deep breath as the car sped on down the darkened highway, back towards the east.

***~''~***

"How could he be such a sappy kid, and yet..."

"Become a wacked-out, genocidal monster?" Talon quipped. Arney, blushing slightly, nodded.

"People change. It's simple enough. However..."

"However?"

"People can't change completely overnight," the professor said thoughtfully, "nor easily, even over centuries. Kebinu remained good inside, even with all the horrors he committed and saw committed. Hm, I suppose Jack would have found that amusing..."

"Mm? Jack?"

"Tuxedo Jack, Miss Arney. Of the Shinobu and Suu Alliance..."

***~''~***

****

And the saga rolls on...

****

NEXT TIME: Tuxedo Jack's journal is related between professor and student. On the horizon, the beginnings of the First Goddess War...

****

The author notes for this installment are in the next chapter. Please be patient!


	13. Tuxedo Jack's Interlude: A Diary

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 6

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

* * * * * * * * * *

This interlude of "Bonds of Time" is written by Tuxedo Jack of Craptacularly Spignificant Productions in response to the open request from Andrew Talon to the Love Hina authors who were featured in the Love Hina Fanboy War. He takes no responsibility for what I wrote in this, no da. The disclaimers I state in my fics at the beginning apply here.

* * * * *

A short while later, in Talon's office...

* * * * *

"Miss Arney, I take it you read about the Shinobu and Su Alliance?" Talon said, unwrapping another watermelon-flavored Jolly Rancher and popping it in his mouth. Before she could nod, he corrected himself. "Of course you have. You've read so much on the subject, it's like talking to someone who was there."

"But I wasn't, and that's why I'm asking you, Professor," the student replied, leaning forward and flipping her hair back before taking a candy from the offered bag. "Besides, the Alliance was a minor thorn in the side of the Army of Light, weren't they?"

"Not really," Talon said, leaning back in his chair and turning to face the window in his office. "The Alliance was more of a help than a hindrance, to be honest."

"And Lance? A 'depressed knight in shining armor,' to quote you?"

Talon snickered. "It gets better. Remember how Kana said that he was neither Shinobu's right or left hand, but her shadow? Lance was her right hand. Her left hand was someone very... odd, to say the least. He was a technology geek and a teacher, not to mention a prolific writer, before the Cataclysm, and afterwards... well, let me tell you about Jack."

"Tuxedo Jack?" the woman said, leaning closer to Talon. "The air commander of the Alliance?"

"That's him," Talon replied, closing his eyes. "I recently got access to his journal - I must thank Su for preserving his equipment, by the way - and if I can remember it right, it goes something like this..."

* * * * *

2015

Colorado Springs, Colorado... post-settling

* * * * *

I opened my eyes and sighed. "Familiar ceiling." I muttered a quiet "Sorry, Anno, but it's a ritual," after it.

I sat up, then looked around at my room, which was once an office at Cheyenne Mountain... before ten years ago, anyway. Now it served as my home... and _Her_ fortress.

After a quick breakfast of food that came from vending machines over a decade ago (hey, don't knock Twinkies. The goddamn things are like VW Beetles - they last forever, despite my best efforts), a shower, and some clean clothes, I climbed the stairs to the South Portal. With a quick slip of my feet, I seated myself in the lotus position, and thought back...

* * * * *

2004

Thirty minutes before the Cataclysm

* * * * *

"Damn it," the boy said, flipping open the side of his computer and fumbling through the cables that hung inside. "I can't believe I was so _stupid!_"

"Don't worry about it," his boss said. "It happens all the time. How could you have known that that chip was bad?"

Jack blew some dust off the heatsink on the Pentium III machine he was fixing and turned to look his boss straight in the eye. "Roy, it's a memory chip. Yeah, some go bad, but we should have known it wasn't a virus when the user started complaining about completely random restarts when Norton Antivirus and Crashguard were running to protect against them."

"So?" Roy shrugged, his slight paunch rising with him. "Forget about it. We've got better things to do than replace memory chips when Dell can get them a new computer entirely under the district's contract."

"And that's another thing I need to talk to them about, the pricing..." Jack closed the case, lifted the computer and walked towards the door. "I'm taking this back to Garcia. It's working."

Roy waved him on and went back to his work.

"Hell," Jack grumbled, walking along the empty halls of the elementary school. "People ought to have to take a test before they're allowed to use a computer... I've had to fix every damn machine in this school twice this semester..."

He stopped dead in his tracks and grinned. "But that doesn't mean I don't love doing it!"

Once he started again, he smirked and muttered, "Besides, it pays for anime."

* * * * *

I'm not going to pretend I knew it was coming. Heck, before that day, I'd only been able to sense things via a general uneasiness, and then only when it was something really bad. This... this was beyond major, and yet I didn't feel it. 

Weird.

Of course, when a shockwave slams into the building you're working in and throws you about fifteen feet to slam into a wall, which you summarily leave a large Jack-shaped dent in, which is then summarily followed with approximately two hours of unconsciousness, you kind of get the feeling that it's going to be a rather bad day. So I left work early, not bothering to report it to my boss, who, when I found what remained of him, seemed to be spread-eagle under a slab of concrete.

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

Whoops, most of my "home" didn't exactly exist any more. It was kind of wiped off the map when the Disaster hit. So were the houses of most of the people I knew. Huge swaths of buildings were missing, and it wasn't in any expected 

pattern of destruction. I mean, with a nuke, you can expect a relatively circular shapeof missing buildings, people, and land, but this... this was _weird_. The SASA satellite photos that I got to see a few decades later showed me that Houston had been turned into something straight out of an abstract art painting.

Oh, and did I mention that about ninety-five percent of the population was killed to boot? That kinda sucked, since it'd be a big issue in a few days, what with the rotting corpses and the plague of vermin that was going to follow. Oy.

Suffice it to say, most travel by car or truck was impossible, thanks to the damage to the roads and the freeways, and with most, if not all, of the city out of commission, it didn't look like there was going to be any way I was going to eat well that night either.

For a while, it looked like all I had to whet my appetite was a full dose of dark, sarcastic humor.

That, and sixteen miles to walk on foot to get to the little that remained of my home.

* * * * *

He stumbled over the wreckage of what had once been a McDonald's, groaning and grunting at the exertion.

"Christ, I haven't walked this far in ages," Jack panted, sitting down on what appeared to be a relatively cool chunk of concrete and steel... and then he leapt up, seeing the sprawled body next to him. "JESUS!"

"What in the hell happened here?"

* * * * *

Yare yare, thinking back on it all, I thought of it as a nuke for a while.

Fortunately, when I got back to what remained of my home, one of the four wings still stood. Ironically, that was the one that a foundation repair specialist had worked on a few weeks ago, and then gave me a lifetime warranty on it.

Guess he did the job right.

There wasn't much left of the area nearby. A few piles of rubble, a house here and there, and some office buildings about a quarter-mile away still stood, but that was about it. 

There wasn't electricity any more, apparently, and my kitchen was gone too, so I was apparently out of luck, and I'd just _bet_ that whatever supermarkets still stood had been looted like mad.

I didn't have much time before nightfall, I knew that. It had taken me about four hours to cover the distance from former-work to razed-home, and I knew that if I didn't move soon, there were going to be vermin and Serenity-knew-what climbing over the ruins of my house, and if I was still there, me to boot.

Fortunately, the wing of my house that stood held a few useful tools - a box of my manga, which would prove infinitely more useful to me than the DVDs, most of which would be ruined eventually; some snacks, which were mostly junk food, unfortunately - I could have done with some carrots, but hey, when you're up late watching TV, that's what you grab; and, wonder of wonders, my laptop, which appeared to be intact. I grabbed them and started moving. Before leaving, I took one quick look through the closet in the wing's lone bedroom, and I found my now-infamous cane and tuxedo, the latter of which went into my laptop case. The former went into a backpack, and it was separated in order to fit. I grabbed up a staff - well, not really a staff, more like a small, relatively straight tree branch that didn't have too many protrusions and could be used as a weapon in a pinch - from the rubble outside and started walking towards the office building.

As I walked through the wreckage-strewn fields that used to be behind my house, the sun started to set. I didn't have much time, and if I was stuck outside, it was going to be like an RPG with random encounters, plus I didn't exactly have a flashlight. Dammit. I should have taken one and ditched the manga instead. Goddamn priorities were going to get me killed one day.

So I kept moving, my heavy burden resting on my back and on my left arm (hey, I had to carry my laptop case. That little bugger of a computer would prove useful later, no matter how many times the damn thing broke - as long as I could fix it). My right hand held my staff, and as I walked, it left dents in the post-apocalyptic soil.

Right before the sun dipped below the edge of the horizon, I reached the steps of the office building. Unfortunately, the glass doors weren't exactly open to me, since the damn things were closed, and they didn't seem to want to open, no matter how much I tugged.

After a few minutes, I heard something rustle in the grass (what remained of it, anyway) about fifteen feet to the right, and I thought to myself...

* * * * *

"Oh, screw it, I'm dead anyways."

Jack dropped his backpack and laptop case to the ground softly and pushed them aside, then grasped his staff with both hands and drew back. He flashed a feral grin, and then swung it towards said glass doors with a scream of "OYAJI!"

The glass shattered, and an alarm immediately started going off inside the building. Jack leapt back in surprise. "If there's an alarm... there's power, which means... GENERATORS!" He bashed away a little more glass from the top of the door while leaving the top two feet of glass intact, thus creating a kind of barrier to keep out small animals, and then he passed his bags through the hole and climbed in himself.

"It's going to be hard to fix this now, with conditions like they are... maybe I can loot a door or something from somewhere."

* * * * *

Eventually, the alarms shut off. The lights in the building's halls stayed on, though - there was nothing I could do about that without shutting down the generators, which fortunately took up the entire third floor, so they couldn't get flooded out.

On the bad side of things, however, I didn't exactly have a bed or anything proper, and on top of that, every now and again, I saw lights flickering in the night sky. I sure as hell knew that those weren't flashlights, since flashlights didn't hover thirty or forty feet off the ground, but...

I sat numbly in an office on the top floor of an eight-floor building, watching the sky and fingering the small moonstone pendant around my neck. It didn't make sense! The whole city, probably more, wiped out in an instant, and only a few things remain? This went beyond the destruction promised by the Cold War. It went beyond that nutball Bush's statements of terrorist action.

Something _bad_ had happened, and for once I was in the dark.

Eventually, I got the idea to plug my laptop into the wall outlet in order to draw current and keep it charged. I booted it, and began typing the events of the day into my journal. This journal, by the way, which by now is over a gigabyte of pure .txt goodness.

Amazing, isn't it? That much text.

It's not hard to accumulate, really, if you write like I do.

That, and the immortality helps.

Oh, I didn't mention that? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you in the dark, so to speak. I'll get to it later. Back to the office.

After plugging the laptop in, I connected it to a phone line and picked up a handset. When no dial tone sounded, I figured the wires were out. It figured. No Internet that way to access information, but if other cities were wrecked like Houston, then there wasn't going to _be_ an Internet to dial out to.

After a few minutes of cursing, I began a search of the office. Fortunately, it was after hours, and most employees had checked in their gear before the disaster and had left the office. I'd lay odds they were on I-10, just driving home to their families, and then...

Revolt suddenly overwhelmed my stomach, and I retched. I barely made it to the restroom down the hall before I vomited into a toilet, collapsing to my knees in agony and shock as I shook with fear and nausea.

"It's all gone... everything I knew, everything I trusted..."

After a few dry spasms, the tears started, and eventually even those bled themselves dry.

I used what little running water came out of the faucets to wash my face, and then flushed the vomit down. I returned to the office, which was now likely to become my permanent home, and lay down on a couch in the lobby.

Staring up at the ceiling, I knew that I was in deep shit. The world had gone to hell in a handbasket in less than a day, and I was on my own for now... probably for good.

After a few minutes of staring, I slept.

* * * * *

The next morning, I woke up and felt like hell. 

When you've got a crick in your neck the size of a friggin' elephant, that kind of does the trick, ne?

After working it out, I looked around for a minute, then it hit me.

It really had happened. I was on my own, and the world had ended.

For once, I was kind of nonplussed. I'd always secretly hoped that it would happen, and hell, I'd even planned out how to manipulate Bush into starting a Second Impact, but Jesus, this was...

As is, I had tasks to complete. First on my list was food. _Good_ food, vegetables, meat, anything that I could cook instead of getting from a vending machine. Second was clothes. I'd have to change once a day, and figure some way to wash what I could. Finally, communications. If I could find other people, we'd have a chance. We could build a village, get things working, possibly try to rebuild what little of the world we knew how to. Unfortunately, computers and such would become artifacts, and very few, if any, would know how to use them.

Such was the state of the world.

Clothes were no problem; I could return to the wing of my house that still stood and take what was in the closet there. Worse came to worse, I could find and loot ADV Films' headquarters or one of the malls in Houston. (I kind of lucked out in the old days; the fact that they were in Houston made it easy to get ADV's anime.)

I knew that there was a Whole Foods - a natural foods store, and they had stuff there that would last ages if stored properly - about five miles from where I was, so I made preparations to go there.

After searching through the office, I found a rack of cellphones in chargers, and a briefcase plugged into the wall, which turned out to be a satellite phone...

And it had an RJ-11 jack on the side.

For those of you who don't know, RJ-11 is standard phone cable. It's not the four-plug kind, which is ancient and a pain to wire a homemade adapter for (I know from experience, believe it or not. Don't touch the black wire), and it's not RJ-45, which is network cable.

It's the kind for _modems_.

I set those aside and let them charge. I'd need them later.

On my way out of the office, I grabbed a piece of plastic and a Marks-A-Lot and made a sign to cover the one that was previously on the door. The new home of Tuxedo Jack was the former offices of Sysco, Incorporated.

Reconnaisance was critical. If I didn't know what was around me, I was as good as dead.

Admittedly, all I saw for about, oh, half a mile or so was rubble, but hey, at least I saw it. Proves I was alive, ne?

I walked onwards, staff in hand, to the ruined wing, got a bunch of clothes and whatever valuables I could find, loaded them into my bag, and trekked back. After depositing them, I began searching the parking garages nearby (it was an office park, after all) for faster transportation. I found plenty of pickup trucks (Texas is, unfortunately, truck central), a few sedans, and one or two compact cars, but those were useless. They wouldn't be able to make it over the wreckage.

However, the H^2 I found in a garage two blocks (relatively speaking) over worked... after I grabbed the keys out of the hand of the corpse next to it. I got it, started it up, and drove out of the parking garage.

A quick check revealed that the radio stations were gone, every one of them. The entire band - 88.7 to 107.5 - all empty. No music. Damn. The same thing was true on the AM band - nothing. You'd think that the FCC or FEMA would have an emergency channel up, but nothing.

I kept driving. After about forty-five minutes of weaving and driving erratically to avoid the various debris in the streets, I made it to Whole Foods and went in... after locking the H^2.

"Trust in God, but lock your car!" I caroled as I went in.

So sue me, if you don't have humor, you'll lose your sanity.

You may even lose your sanity if you have humor. 

I still don't know if I did, though. I guess it's all subjective.

After loading up on food, I carted it out to the H^2... and cursed, as I'd left my staff in the vehicle and there were two people waiting there for me, each with a metal pipe.

"Give us the food, boy," one muttered.

"There's more inside. Just go and get it," I shot back.

"Oh, no. We'd rather you give us yours and go get some more for us."

"Go to hell," I replied angrily. "There's enough in there to last you for a few years."

"Last chance, kid," the taller of the two said, pointing his pipe at me. "Give us the food, or we take it."

Now I've never been too confident of my fighting abilities, and I'm bloody weak physically, but I'm nimble, and speed makes up for strength here thanks to the wreckage of the city. "Come and take it."

With a yell, they charged, and I rolled to one side before a pipe slammed into the ground where I'd been standing a few seconds before. I dodged pipe after pipe, and eventually, it all seemed to blur together. A pipe was a pipe was a pipe, if you get my drift.

Like I said, I wasn't strong. When a pipe hit my palm, I winced, but caught it. Something red - I had _no_ damn clue what - erupted from my hand, and the damn pipe practically melted. I dropped it - hey, you wouldn't want a bloody hot thing like that in your hand, would you?

The guy - I don't mention his weapon, because it was now melted into the flesh of his right hand - leapt back and began rolling on the ground in agony before hissing out "Aaron, beat that bastard around for me!"

Aaron swung. Feeling confident this time, I grabbed the pipe.

Nothing happened. I would have facefaulted, but I don't quite think I could do that then. As is, I think I just let out a sigh and the ever-useful phrase "Oh, _SHIT_."

I let go of the pipe after figuring out that I couldn't exactly pull it out of his hand, since it was kind of melted into it, and I started to run like hell... then I tripped, and well, when you trip, you trip _hard_. After a few seconds of disorientation and the inevitable pain, I looked up, and Aaron had his pipe directly over his head, ready to be brought down on mine noggin.

A random thought shot through my head - "You know, that'd be a perfect lightning rod if only I could use Bolt or something -" and about second later, a thin lightning bolt crashed out of the sky to lance directly into his pipe. The poor bastard fell to the ground and started twitching.

With both opponents incapacitated (or in Hot-Pipe Guy's case, unwilling to fight), I took the time to load the groceries into the H^2 and then drove off.

While in the car, I took the opportunity to think. "The hell was that? Was it dumb luck? Or is someone watching out for me?" I snorted at that. I'd never been a big believer in guardian angels - the Evangelion angels were more my type. Dumb luck? It's possible. Hell, anything's possible, I guess, since the damn city got nuked.

On my way back, I saw a gun store... well, the ruin of one, anyway... and figured that I should stock up just in case. It was a good idea. I loaded the H^2 with a few rifles, some pistols, and all the ammunition I could find. I can't pretend that I knew what went with what, but I'd have to figure it out... and _fast_ if I didn't want to get wasted in this

post-apocalyptic hellhole.

The same thing happened near the crushed hunk of the Westside Command Center of the Houston Police Department. I went inside, grabbed what I could, and hauled. It was a good haul - some flashbangs, a couple of smoke grenades, and a nice suit of Kevlar. Nothing special, but it'd keep me alive a little longer.

After a night of laying in fortifications to the highest floor of the office building that was now my home, I lay down and slept. It wasn't an easy sleep, and my dreams were haunted by visions of two girls - one with blue hair, blue eyes, and a sweet smile, and the other with tan skin, green eyes, and blonde hair who wore a manic grin.

_C'mon, Tux-kun, wake up!_ the blonde said. _And shake well before serving!_

_Aaau... gomen ne about Su,_ the other said. _She's a little hyper._

_Oh, it's no problem,_ I thought. _I'll just go to sleep now and forget that I'm hallucinating._

* * * * *

The present, in Talon's office

* * * * *

"'Shake well before serving?'" Miss Arney looked at Talon with a quizzical expression, and the demigod shrugged.

"Su always was a little odd," he muttered. "That line... I think she pulled it from 'Capcom versus SNK' or something."

"What's that?"

"It's an ancient video game. I don't think that copies survived the Cataclysm, but I guess that Jack's collection remained safe for a while in the wreck that was his house until he went back and got them."

Talon leaned forward, placing his hands in a steeple position so that his fingers interlaced right at the bridge of his nose. The dim light in his office seemed grim as he assumed the Gendo Position, and he sighed wearily. "Miss Arney, the demigods were once human, and we all have our weaknesses. Let me tell you about one of Jack's more interesting evenings alone at his office building..."

* * * * *

A few hours after Tuxy's dream

* * * * *

A few hours later, I awoke. Morning libations ensued, and then... well, I finally got up the courage to try something I'd wanted to do for a while. Ever since I found the satphone, actually.

It was a good thing that my laptop hadn't been blown to bits in the Disaster. I needed it. I hooked the phone cord into the satphone jack, then went to the roof to dial out. After setting up the dish and angling it straight up, I booted up my system, launched Dial-Up Networking, and dialed my ISP.

Not surprisingly, it didn't do anything.

For a while, anyways.

Then, with a screech and hiss of a modem that's found a handshake protocol, the damn thing connected... at 26,400 bytes a second.

Hey, it's better than nothing. Don't knock it.

NASA - or what was left of it - had somehow connected their satellites to the main page of their server, and when I looked at the photos of the carnage that had ensued, my jaw dropped.

North America looked like Jack the Ripper had hit it. Europe... oh, man, it was barely even there. It looked like only Antarctica had escaped major damage, though.

After a while, I decided to try connecting to an instant messenger service, and nothing happened.

_Period._

AOL, MSN, Yahoo... they were all _gone_. There went any hope of finding my friends and family via normal channels. I didn't believe they were alive, anyways. From the satellite photos I'd seen, my sister's college was razed, and the rest of my family was in Houston... at home.

It didn't matter now. The only thing that mattered was survival.

I disconnected and went inside, satphone and laptop in hand. I hadn't even bothered to look around the building, which turned out to be a big mistake. I later learned that some men had been spying on me under the cover of rubble.

That night, the gangs came.

I'm not going to pretend that I even would have had a chance if I hadn't fortified the building and blocked all the stairwells but one with furniture. I'd found the elevator keys in the manager's office when I'd looted the building earlier and had taken the opportunity to lock the bastards at the top floor so no one could use them. It came in handy.

When you've got something people want badly enough, they'll do nearly anything to get it. In this case, it meant shattering the front doors of the building, setting off the alarm again, and scaring the living shit out of me. I rolled off the couch, ran into the hallway outside, and nearly got my head taken off by a sea of bullets, which slammed into the wall next to me and left holes the size of my fist.

"Oh, goddammit," I muttered, running back inside to grab what I could. I had to get to the stairs and hold them as long as I could by any means necessary - guns, knives, furniture, bombs, whatever. They'd made it to the third floor when I dropped the first flashbang, and the screams and moans that echoed off the hallway didn't exactly make me think that I had found a small group. No, there were at least ten there, and if there were ten there, there were twenty more in the lobby.

I slipped on the Kevlar and waited. Sure enough, they kept moving, but slow, and I heard rustling. Did they have grenades? Homemade Molotov Cocktails? I didn't want to find out. Besides, I didn't know if the fire sprinklers were working, and I didn't want to test them.

I threw out a case of ammunition and fired a few times at it, but the movies weren't accurate - the goddamn thing didn't explode and start firing off shells randomly. I cursed in desperation, hoping against hope for some kind of fire - and then a red jet flew from my hands, heating the pistol in my hand to a very high degree, and setting the box on fire.

I blinked, then ran like hell, and a few seconds later, I heard the thumping of boots on the concrete stairs, then more screams, and after that, staccato popping as the ammo in the box overheated and fired itself off. When I got to the fifth floor landing, I stared at my hand. "What the _hell_ is this?"

They kept coming. I fired clip after clip, and nearly every single bullet missed its target or ricocheted off the walls. Come to think of it, the only ones that _did_ hit their targets were the ones that ricocheted. Goddamn luck.

Maybe if they thought I was nuts, they'd go away. I started singing an old song, one I'd learned from a woman who went by the name of Minaku.

"Hate is very, very bad, we should love instead! Open your heart to the yummy light and GURK!"

I didn't exactly add the word "gurk" in there intentionally. Some bastard got lucky and his bullet slammed into the Kevlar that I'd donned before I came out. The blow knocked me back - flat onto it, as a matter of fact. The lone man climbed the stairwell up to my, pointed his gun at my head, and grinned.

"Remember me, punk? You ruined my hand and killed my bro. Now it's my turn."

I would have said something clever, but a bullet to the chest kind of knocks the air out of you, so instead I gasped and wheezed and thought about freezing that cold sonuvabitch into a gigantic block of ice -

- and out of nowhere, a prism of ice formed around him, trapping his gun hand and making him start. He had just enough time to grimace before he was covered, and as I stumbled backwards in fear, I accidentally kicked him down the stairs.

I'd taken a similar involuntary trip down a flight of stairs a few years ago, and it wasn't pretty. I'll put it this way... while I got off with permanent backaches, this bastard wasn't so lucky. 

He shattered on impact, his various limbs cracking cleanly off and glistening as the ice slowly melted around his body, which now resembled nothing more to me than a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

With a half-muted sound that resembled the cry of a wounded baby rabbit, I climbed the stairs up to the eighth floor and began blocking the stairwell with furniture. A few minutes later, I heard the thudding of feet, and I threw down one smoke grenade, just to gain time. Coughing and shouts greeted my efforts, and when I shoved the last chair into position, I ran back inside the normal building proper and locked the stairwell behind me.

For better or worse, I was trapped here now.

After a short time of hearing massive amounts of gunfire shattering the glass on my home's ornamental balconies (hey, I'm not the one who built the damn place. It had balconies overlooking the elevators and lobby), I got fed up, and I tossed over a few boxes of ammo, then hoped against hope, looked over the balcony's edge, took careful aim, prayed to God...

And let fly with the weak fire from my hands, which set the boxes alight and triggered the blast effect. That sent most of the thugs scattering, and the few who remained got cut down quickly.

A few minutes later, the lobby was clear, and I sat staring at the corpses of the men and women who'd tried to storm my castle.

"What... what have I done..."

Being a killer isn't easy, even if it's in self defense. Knowing that I'd taken the lives of about twenty people, and most of them due to some goddamned power, some cursed ability from my body...

I passed out.

Visions tormented me - endless visions of the world past, the carefree world that it had been - endless bickering inside the U.N., new computer viruses, the perpetual stream of crap spewing forth from the collective orifices of Hollywood - and I shook in my unconsciousness, screaming and crying.

How do I know, you ask? The answer is simple.

_She_ showed me.

The girl from my first dream showed up - the blue-haired one. With graceful movements, she placed my head in her lap and patted it gently, then started singing some song, some lullaby - and wonder of wonders, I calmed down.

I awoke a few seconds later, and I saw her. She smiled, and then she vanished, leaving my head to fall to the floor. I wondered if I was dreaming again, and she nodded.

"Think of me as a dream. You can see dreams whenever you want, whenever you think of them... but you won't remember them... not in reality, anyway." She waved her hand, and then vanished, and it was only with the greatest efforts a decade later that I remembered that meeting with her in detail.

I stumbled to the bathroom, cleaned myself off, and stared at myself.

I didn't want to think that I was a killer.

Time passed like water - a ripple here and there, but quietly, unnoticed. I hadn't aged a day physically since the cataclysm, but my soul felt old and brittle, like a glove you put on too many times. I have no idea why; perhaps it was a gift from _her_, maybe it was radiation of some kind, maybe it was a curse.

I personally tended to the latter. You know why, right? You live, everyone else dies? All your friends and such die, and you're left alone, alone with only memories? Yes, it's a pain, isn't it? That sweet, delicious ache in your heart, the bittersweet feeling that drives one to drink and death, to lust for life and love?

... Oh, gods, I sound like Kana. Forgive me.

It was 2005 when I realized what I was capable of. I knew that I'd gained some powers already - and so do you, obviously. But what I didn't know was just what they were. You've heard the tales of the Others in the SASA classes - the stories of Kebinu, with his fire mastery; Kana, with his power over the dead, and Talon, with his unholy speed and agility. As for myself, I had an... intriguing... ability. 

During the attacks on me at Whole Foods and at my home, I found that I'd gained weak control of three elements - lightning, ice, and fire. I didn't have anything near the levels of Kebinu's powers, or Talon's, and I sure as hell couldn't touch Kana's undead armies (but the fire stunt worked wonders on the grunts), but what I could do was useful.

I hadn't figured on having to use the powers very often. Yes, I did use the ice power to create water for bathing and such, and the fire ability heated it, but the lightning wasn't very useful except when I wanted a light show. Still, though, trained my powers, using targets on the roofs of the parking garages and various tasks to ensure that they weren't just for combat.

After all, if they weren't practical, what was the use of having them?

One other ability defied that law, though, and was very useful on my trips into the outside - I could perform a moderately powerful healing spell. Apparently, that was what I seemed to be best at - not attacks, not defense, but merely restoration. I figured it came from years of technical support and repairing things like there was no tomorrow... which there apparently wasn't.

As I was saying, I trained myself and honed my powers. I still wasn't that physically powerful, but hell, if you can shock someone into unconsciousness, you don't need to be able to knock them out with a fist. Agility was a different matter, and my resilience to damage was abnormally strong. I could take quite a bit of damage, and I tested this quite often by running into walls, jumping down about ten feet or so (gradually increasing the distance until the day I broke my leg... fifty feet, by the way), and testing out the extents of my powers on myself (of course, weak blows at first, then stronger). But it didn't matter if I could dodge the attacks.

The next five years passed quietly. The power in the generators didn't last that long, obviously. Every now and again, I made a trip out to the local gas stations and dug up a new storage tank. They usually lasted me about three months each - three months of heat and light, three months of an electronic diary on my laptop, three months of occasionally dialing out to my ISP via the satellite phone to see if they had anyone else getting through.

Time flowed past me like a river. Most of the locals avoided me, for fear of my powers and the strange lights they saw in my building at night, and some just because they saw me, and they saw that I hadn't aged, and they were afraid.

Hell, so was I. I didn't know what was out there.

Every now and again, a raiding party would come after me. By this time, the ammunition I'd looted was long gone, and the guns ruined, since I didn't know how to take care of them. I was down to what little I had left - some food (mostly that same damn vending machine stuff from years ago, believe it or not), a bit of over-the-counter medicine (expired, but even that was better than nothing), clothing (the tuxedo included. On occasion, I wore it, and tried to think back), my laptop, and the satellite phone. That was it.

Fortunately, most of the raiders fled when they saw me standing on a balcony in a tuxedo with a cane smirking at the poor buggers who tried to steal from me.

Hey, you'd run too if you saw someone who could command weak fire, ice, and lightning holding a cane and laughing like Naga.

The word had gotten around about me being adept with elements, and the bastards ran off scared. Every now and again, one would try to shoot at me, but I'd leap off the balcony, point the cane at him, and bellow out some ludicrous speech about not taking what isn't yours before chanting an attack phrase (the word "tuxedo" followed by "fire brand," "ice storm," or "thunder blast") and either killing or wounding him.

It was more of the latter than the former. I can't take killing, no matter what I do. I _hate it_.

About three years later (2008 or so - when you're immortal, time becomes irrelevant), a particularly determined group of thieves came in. They breached most of my defenses, broke down the walls of the ground floor of the building with vehicles, and got to the fifth floor of my home before I cracked.

When you're seeing people shooting at you, and then summarily destroying what you've built over the years, you'll snap. I snapped, and that day, I learned how to combine the three elements I could use to augment each other. I called it the "Tuxedo Elemental Storm," and I kept it secret.

After that, though, the local people despised me. They knew that I'd killed before to protect my building, and they hated the fact that I had a relatively cushy life in seclusion. I'd heard that they killed adepts out west, and in the east, it was relatively relaxing. You'd think it'd be the other way around - they in California would be used to odd abilities and such, and those on the eastern seaboard would be wasting adepts left and right.

Six years passed without incident.

The seventh did not...

* * * * *

2015

The remains of Houston

* * * * *

"And that's what I need," Jack said, passing a list to the tradesman. "You think you can get it for me?"

The man perused the list, scanning each item briefly before shaking his head. "I can't help you, spawn. You're on your own."

Jack's eyelid twitched for a second. "Excuse me? 'Spawn?' What's with that?"

"You're one of them who can use magic and shit," the merchant said, grabbing his keys and shoving Jack out of his store. "You're not normal, and you don't belong here, so get out!"

The door closed behind Jack, and he sighed. "Goddammit. Now where am I going to get those supplies?"

The gun shoved into the small of his back was enough answer for him.

"Take your stuff and get the hell out of this city, you son of Satan," came the voice from behind him. "Us God-fearing people don't like you here."

"And I thought that only the smart survived," Jack said sarcastically. "It's amazing that you managed to live this long, pastor."

The clergyman pointed his finger at Jack while the small mob near him aimed their weapons. "'And lo, Christ turned to the possessed man, and he cast out the demon in His Father's name.'"

"Your point?" Jack tensed as a knife found its way to his neck. "I see. You're rather sharp, pastor, I'll give you that, but you're sure as hell no Jesuit."

"The priests from the Church will burn for tolerating a demon like you in our presence, boy," the preacher muttered. "Tolerance, civility, decency - all are not to be given to heathen like you."

"To think that I believe in Him," Jack sighed. "And didn't someone once say 'love thy neighbor as thyself?'" he shot back as the knife was removed from his neck.

"We'll love you as we do ourselves, but you'll leave if you wish to enjoy that love," the preacher said, pulling out a pearl-handled pistol. "We shall not tolerate the presence of a devil in our midst." He waved his hand, and the woman with the rifle that was pressed into Jack's spine stepped back and let it relax.

"You've got twelve hours to get what you need and leave Houston. I'll give the order to shoot you on sight if you return. Understand?"

"You do know I could kill you where you stand?" Jack's words were a bluff, and the pastor knew it. "And before you managed to kill me, I'd take a good chunk of your flock along with you."

"A damned wolf to the last," the preacher said, turning around and walking away. "Twelve hours, boy, then you're dead if you're still here."

The mob followed him, and Jack sighed. "Dammit. What am I going to do?"

A few hours later, he was busily packing.

"If they're going to waste me, I might as well leave," he muttered. "I don't know whether this immortality extends to physical damage, and I'm not about to find out."

He shoved his laptop into its case, grabbed the satellite phone and its gear, and then stuffed them into a suitcase. "Screw them. If they want me gone, I'll leave. But where am I going to go?"

He sat down on his bed and thought for a minute. "Let's see... there's Austin. Uncle's ranch... it might still be there. New York, to Yvonne's house? No. Too far. Colorado?"

A second later, a deep-seated feeling of serenity came over him. "Yes, why not? Durango had beautiful views, and Ouray and Silverton might still be standing. Besides, there, there's very few people to harass me... and with any luck, I'll not have to deal with the damn fundy preachers that try to kill me 'in the name of God.' Idiots."

Jack lay there for a minute, thinking, and then rose. "Right, then. It's time to go."

He collected his suitcases, carried them to his H^2, which, amazingly, still ran after ten years, and placed them in on the back seat. He slipped in, ignited the engine, and sighed. "I hate moving."

Jack drove off after inserting a CD into the player. "Colorado, here I come. I hope that the roads aren't as bad as I remember them."

* * * * *

2015, five days later

The outskirts of Denver

* * * * *

"You're sure that I can't find haven here?"

The guards shook their heads. "We've already got enough trouble with people coming in and out. We're closed off until we can do an inventory and budget supplies. Turn around and leave."

"There's nothing nearby?" Jack smacked the dashboard of his car with his right hand, then winced. "I mean, I'd drive five hundred miles if I had to."

One guard started to say something, and the other glared menacingly at him. "The closest settlement is about three hundred miles away. It's called Colorado Springs."

"Thanks."

"You don't need help getting there?" The guard who'd glared was furious now, and the other one was sweating.

"I've a key map. I'll make it there." Jack turned the car around and drove off.

"The hell are you telling him how to get to there?" the angry guard said. "Those mages are better off dead."

"Better they have him than us," the guard replied.

* * * * *

About seven hours later

And three hundred miles away

* * * * *

Jack drove.

He couldn't go fast, for although the state of Colorado drew in millions of dollars in tourism money every year, they'd never made mountain roads well, and Jack wasn't about to tempt fate.

He pulled up to an observation deck on the edge of a mountain... and gasped in shock, then tore open the door of his vehicle and dashed to the railing.

"Masaka!"

A nearby mountain, though covered with snow and pine trees, had roads leading straight up to it, and there, just barely visible, was an arch on it. Jack ran back to the H^2, pulled a pair of binoculars from the glove box, and

focused them on the arch.

"Cheyenne Mountain..."

"Whoa." He lowered the binoculars, and then walked back to the car. "This... This is like 'WarGames'. But... it's so calm here, so peaceful... Could this be the end of the line for me?"

He nodded, and started the car again before driving down the roads off the mountain and into the nearby town of Colorado Springs. Within a few hours, Jack was sipping at a mug of coffee in a local inn next to a slightly frosted

window.

"This... is good," he whispered to himself, quietly blowing on the coffee before tipping the cup and drinking of it. "I could get used to this." His brow furrowed. "If the locals let me."

A few people walked by outside, clad in furs and carrying gift-wrapped boxes. He paid them no mind, but when another group did the same, and then another a few minutes later, he beckoned a nearby waitress over. "You wouldn't happen to know where they're going, would you?"

"Oh, they're going to see the Tenshi," the waitress replied, beaming a little before calming herself. "Lady Shinobu's been healing many, many people lately, and they want to give her gifts for it."

Jack raised his eyebrows in interest. "A healer? Oh, my, that gift's rare."

"Meh, there's another adept around here, too," the waitress said, refilling his coffee. "Lady Su's got some weird power over earth and metals and such."

"My, my," Jack muttered. "Where can I find them?"

"Just follow the crowds, honey," she said, sauntering off.

Jack dropped cash on his table, plus a somewhat nice tip - nowhere near pre-Cataclysm standards, but still notable. He slipped into the restroom, and since the place was deserted, he grabbed his tuxedo from the H^2 and quickly changed into it, then waited until the waitress turned her back, and walked out the door.

He left the H^2 parked where it was, but pulled out his cane and a mask. "Best to remain disguised until I can find out whether they're friend or foe," he muttered before joining in the throng of followers heading towards Cheyenne Mountain.

After a lengthy walk, which only seemed to exacerbate the cold, Jack found himself at the North Portal. He stepped in, and immediately two guards pulled him aside.

"We've heard about you, boy," one said quietly. "The guards at Denver sent us a warning about magic users coming our way."

"Oh? Did they mention me specifically?"

"They said that there was someone who could use dark powers," the second guard said. "Until we're certain it's not you, you're going to the cells below."

Jack thought for a second, then shook his head. "No, I don't think so. If I did, I couldn't see Lady Shinobu or Lady Su, and that's what I came here to do, after all." He flicked his fingers, and a small bolt of flame melted the barrels of the guns the guards held. "Do you mind? I really must go."

He walked off before the guards could protest, and he silently cursed as he did so. _Dammit. I didn't want to have to use those yet. If Su or Shinobu are as powerful as they seem, and they're a threat to me..._

Before he could continue that train of thought, however, he found himself at what once was the control room, and he stared in shock.

It was _Her_.

Her, as in the Woman who healed him that night he slew the gang with the boxes of bullets.

Her, as in the Girl from his dreams.

Her, as in the Lady Shinobu.

The line to see her moved slowly, but eventually, he made it to the front. He stared, entranced... and then she spoke.

"It's been ten years, Tux-kun."

Jack dropped to one knee immediately and bowed his head, then unsheathed the sword at his side and planted the blade into the ground. "It's you. I can't believe it... it's _you_. You're _Her!_"

Shinobu nodded. "So I am."

"Shinobu_-sama, kimo no koto wa itsudemo hoshi suru_!" 

"If that is your wish, I shall be glad to grant it." Shinobu rose from the chair that sat near the lead desk and stepped to him. "So you now work for me, Jack. You will know my ends, and you are the means. Do this well."

Jack nodded. _Perhaps I can find redemption here. Redemption for all I've slain, for all I've lost, for all the agony I've caused... and if I can find it in Her eyes, all the sweeter shall it be._

* * * * *

I broke the trance, and sighed. The crisp, icy air of the South Portal nipped at my flesh, eliciting a soft shiver, and sending me back inside the warmth of the mountain.

And that's it, really. That's how I lost everything, gained a little back, damned myself beyond all hells, and gained the quest, although kicking and screaming, to regain my soul.

* * * * *

Talon's office, the present

* * * * *

The girl leaned back in her chair and tapped a long, manicured finger against her chin. "What did that phrase mean?"

Talon sighed, and the old look in his eyes came back for an instant. "It's Japanese, Miss Arney. It means 'I will always serve you," if he wanted simplicity. However, I believe he meant to say, "I will always come to your aid."

She smiled. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Don't knock it, Miss Arney," Talon replied, wagging a finger at her. "Words like that can be powerful. Just look at history."

"But did anyone else say anything to their goddesses before the War or Reconstruction?"

"That, madame, is what I'm about to tell you."

* * * * * * * * * * *

****

And that's five authors now… Anyone else want to join in?

NEXT TIME: Kitsune meets her champions, Christopher Magician and Eijentu in Las Vegas, while in Athens, Talon faces the leader of the Bulldogs. Can the Demi-god of the Wingfoot defeat the Demi-Goddess of the Storm?

****

As always, anyone who wishes to contribute is more than welcome. It is good to see you again, Sadistic Shadow! I look forward to anything you come up with in the future, for this fic or otherwise ^_^ 

Silver-chan, your interlude is taking shape as we speak. It will appear in chapter 15 at the latest.

And Mint-chan… When are we going to see your Interlude?


	14. Kitsune and the Great Shift

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 14

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

****

A chapter written (more or less) entirely by me! Wow, didn't see that one coming, didja? ^__^

***~''~***

__

Early winter, 2015

"Woo hoo! Lucky seven! Drinks all around!"

The roaring casino around the triumphant woman at the craps table grew even louder with cheers, as the well-endowed blonde raked in her winnings to her bosom. She eagerly headed for the cashier, the gambling and drinking all around continuing unabated.

"Hey Boss! Why are you out among the tables?" Queried the cashier, a dull-looking young man with flaming red hair. The blonde woman grinned, her eyes twinkling.

"What's wrong? Can't a girl have a little fun?"

"You own the casino," pointed out the cashier, taking the chips and quickly shuffling them for money. They'd continued to use the dollar bill for currency, though the counterweight for the dough was now the water that Kitsune wielded, rather than gold bricks in Fort Knox.

"Ha! Does the peddler never sample his wares? Do the clergy never pray? C'mon, what'd I win, Jonesy?" The cashier sighed and smiled at his boss's cheerful demeanor. 

"Twelve thousand… Though, might I remind you _again_-"

"Yeah, yeah, I own the casino," Kitsune said, rolling her eyes as she shoved the tokens under the steel bars of Jonesy's window. "You know where to put it, Jonesy."

"No problem, ma'am," the cashier grinned, as he stashed the chips away in a private box. He'd gotten used to his boss's frequenting of the tables, but it never hurt to make friendly conversation with Kitsune.

A young, mouse-brown haired woman approached the cashier's window. Jonesy turned, to ask if he could help her…

He lost interest, and looked over at some finance reports he would have to file soon. 

"Oh, damnit," he muttered to himself, "I forgot to secure the safe." Turning from the window, Jonesy walked down the hallway, over to the heavily reinforced door that led to the area where the money was processed, and a good portion of it stocked away for the casinos. Kitsune always liked to have some spare cash lying around - preferably in the amount of tons. He reached for his keys - And they were gone.

"Huh? Where the hell did I-?" Jonesy looked up, and noticed that the door was already open. _How'd that happen…?_

Jonesy shook his head, as though he were waking up from a dream. _What was I-? Oh yes, the safe…_

Jonesy closed the door behind him, and walked down the hallway. On either side of him, employees of the Royal Fox Fan Horde Casino sorted through the casino's winnings on the other side of thick glass. He reached the safe, and opened it up, the reassuring clinks of the locking mechanism completely sound.

This building had easily survived the Cataclysm from two decades ago, thanks to it's sturdy construction. A Japanese firm, experienced in designing buildings to resist earthquakes, was to thank for that. It was thus little wonder that Lady Kitsune had taken control so quickly and effectively.

Oh yeah, and the fact she could summon water with a wave of her hand, or ice, figured prominently in the formula of power.

Jonesy froze. He could _swear_ there was someone in the room with him… But as he looked around, he saw nothing. The old clerk scratched his head.

_What's going-?_

Jonesy blacked out, a sound **thwack** to his head by a thick record book sending him to dreamland. The holder of the book, a medium-height, brown-haired woman, sighed before shoving the book into a nearby shelf. She reached into the safe, pulled out an armload of cash, and shoved it into a duffle bag.

"Jonesy?! What's that you're-" The girl turned, wide-eyed, at the door. Another employee walked in, and blinked dumbly at Jonesy on the floor.

"Good grief Jonesy, what happened?" The girl, completely ignored by the other employee, made a break for it.

_Hope Chris got the motor running…_

***~''~***

The girl darted out into the relatively quiet street behind Kitsune's Palace. Over on the other side, a British, right-driving Landrover sat, it's motor thrumming, but no sound stirring from it. The girl dashed over and jumped into the passenger-side seat.

"Got the dough?" Asked the driver, a stocky, messy-brown haired man.

"You know it," the girl responded with a grin, tossing the stuff in back. "And Kitsune didn't even see me!"

"Hey Eijentu, your… Shall we say… 'Skills' have never failed before," Chris complimented, grinning back at his partner in crime. 

"Until tonight. But then, that's just me." Eijentu and Chris blinked at each other, before turning to the speaker.

Kitsune grinned at them, her fists radiating cold, icy mist.

"Um…"

"Now generally," Kitsune started, intensifying her icy output, "I'd _freeze_ you two Bonny and Clyde imitators, and put you on display at the front door."

"Um, we're sorry," Chris started, but Kitsune's glare silenced him. The fox goddess's gaze softened.

"However… You got past all my guards," the fox lady said, indicating Eijentu, "and you, I'm assuming, made it so no normal human could hear what's going on here, right?" Chris nodded, as Eijentu blushed.

"Er… We've been like this… Ever since-"

"The Catalcysm, yeah," Kitsune finished, her grin widening. "C'mon, let's go in and talk."

"You're not… Mad?"

"Course I am. You clobbered a friend of mine. But, instead of turning you both into icicles, or drowning ya, you're gonna _work_ off your debt to me."

"I've got a funny feeling, Eijentu."

"That's because you were looking at her _boobs,_ Chris."

"Well, so were you!"

"Now now, children, I swing _all_ sorts of ways…"

***~''~***

"Did she have no shame?"

"Probably not," Talon responded, grinning at his pupil's tinted cheeks.

"So… Can we _finally_ quit stalling, and get to your part?"

"Suspense is an art form, Miss Arney."

"For you, it's a way of _life…_"

***~''~***

__

"Raven Four to Raven Two, target in sight! I count forty - No, make that fifty - vehicles. Looks like heavy artillery escorted by motorcycles and Hummers."

"Confirmed, Raven Four. Raven Two to Raven Prime, what do you make of it?"

"Assault convoy, heading directly for our primary defensive position. Ravens Five and Three, prepare the rocket pods and follow me in. First pass, we wipe out the nucleus. Ravens Two and Four, hang back and take out the survivors once we make our run."

"Roger that. We're going in!"

***~''~***

"My lady?" In the passenger side seat of a Jeep that was escorting the tanks of the Bulldog Army, Nicole Arlington turned and looked quizzically at her second-in-command.

"Mm?" The commander's breath caught in his teeth, gazing at his leader, his demi-goddess…

She was blonde and fair-skinned, a light matte of freckles decorating her ageless cheeks and nose. Her stormy blue eyes were piercing and bright, with an ever constant swirl within their pupils that resembled clouds, were one prone to flights of fancy.

"Greg? Colonel Macfarlane?" He shook himself free of his stupor, and replied in a moderately-thick Aussie accent.

"Sorry, milady, but you seem… preoccupied."

"I am… I cannot help but sense that our enemy is near…" Nicole closed her eyes, and at once, the wind picked up. Greg looked above him, just in time to see a huge burst of wind herd the clouds ahead of the convoy.

"I never get tired of seeing that," commented a soldier in the back of the Hummer, grinning.

***~''~***

__

"Hell, where'd this front come from?"

"It's like it was just… Summoned. Out of nothing."

"…"

"Oh yes, their leader's a **storm** goddess, isn't she?"

"And **why** did no one think of this **before** we took off?!"

"…Um…"

"POWER THROUGH! LAUNCH THE ROCKETS! GIVE 'EM HELLLLLL!"

***~''~***

__

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Bright lights with trails of white smoke flung themselves down upon the convoy, the first ten of them reaching the ground and blowing a number of vehicles to smithereens. The convoy scattered, tanks revving their engines to full to split themselves apart and make themselves harder to hit from the ground.

"Hm…" Nicole opened her eyes, her pupils dilated to the point it looked as though her eyes were pure black. The clouds shifted above them, the wind howling around them. The first bursts of lightening began to spark from cloud to cloud, building up voltage…

***~''~***

Lucia Tanaka cursed rather loudly in the cockpit of her F-22A. The winds had begun to pick up even more, the cloud density reaching the point where their sensors could simply not cut through the interference.

"Have you faced weather adepts before, Jikei?" Talon was sitting in back, the weapons officer. He shook his head, sighing dismally. His link to Mutsumi told him she was fine, several miles away with a helicopter bound for Atlanta, but the speed demon couldn't help his concern for her.

"We faced a wind-wielder in Arizona, but he had _nothing_ on this girl, believe me." Lucia growled, and tilted the stick forward. The strike fighter's nose dipped, the clouds twisting around outside the plane as they descended.

"I guess we'll do this the hard way, then," she muttered. "Raven Prime to flock: Get down below the clouds and begin hit-and-run attacks. Take out as many targets as possible with one volley each, and duck back into the clouds again. We need to avoid Nicole's gaze." Lucia turned her head back over her shoulder slightly.

"As far as we can tell, she can only control clouds - Not sense things inside of them."

"Of course," Talon replied thoughtfully," she could just whip the clouds up into a massive twister, so it wouldn't _matter_ if we hid or not - She'd just kill us all."

"Gee, you're a regular cheerleader, Andrew."

***~''~***

Below, Greg cursed under his breath. The fighters attacking them were obviously of Lady Lye's forces. He briefly considered radioing to their main base for helicopter support, but his quick mind dismissed it out of hand. 

It would take too long for them to get here, and anyway: Apaches were no match for stealth aircraft such as these.

"Have no fear, Greg," Nicole intoned into his thoughts, as their driver zoomed the Hummer off the road and into the woods for cover. "I can destroy them at my leisure." 

"Stop the car," Greg commanded, and the driver complied without question.

The blonde woman looked up into the sky once again, her eyes completely blackened out. At that moment, a Lye fighter ducked out of the clouds, letting loose a burst of rockets, before a blast of lightening caught it in the engines.

A distant-sounding _BOOM_ registered the explosion of the fighter's engines, and the plane plummeted to the ground, landing scant seconds later in the woods, only a few hundred meters away. The impact vibrated the Hummer's mirrors, and the troops nearby cheered wildly. Greg grinned at his leader, before his face lengthened in concern.

"Lady Nicole? Are you all right? Lady Nicole?" The blonde girl shook her head, and nodded, waving her second-in-command off.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine… Just rather tired." Nicole looked over toward where the Lye F-22 had crashed, a plume of smoke rising from the general area. 

"I must… Take out the remaining fighters," she murmured, looking up at the clouds above. The other Lye planes were now ducking back out of the clouds, firing rockets at an almost frantic pace. Nicole narrowed her eyes. They were too easy to destroy, just one lightening blast…

_BOOM!_ Greg drew his pistol, and the other soldiers (aside from the driver) also prepped their weapons. One of the tanks on the other side of the road had burst into flames, and no rocket had struck it. Greg narrowed his eyes, not liking this one bit.

"What-?"

***~''~***

"_'Vacation's where I want to be! Funny on the beach where the fun is free! We don't need a holiday to start to celebrate! 'Cause I need a break, I need a vacation!'" _Talon cried, rushed past two dismounted troops, slicing their rifles to pieces with Greyspar in the blink of an eye. 

_"'Vacation's where I want to be! Funny on the beach where the fun is free! We don't need a holiday to start to celebrate! 'Repeat after me, I need a vacation!'" _Lucia replied in time, a voltage field surrounding her body that allowed her to keep up with Talon. She simply punched the Bulldog troopers she met, the extreme charge in her fists blasting them ten feet clear in the blow's direction. Of course, since they were both at such high speeds (40 to 50 meters per second, easily), everything else seemed to be moving in slow motion. It was therefore difficult to determine exactly what the effects of every strike were, until several seconds after the initial attack.

Well, if they bothered to look back.

_"'Vacation's where I want to be! Funny on the beach where the fun is free! We don't need a holiday to start to celebrate! 'Cause I need a break, I need a vacation!' JIKEI!" _ Lucia yelled to Talon. Since they were moving at similar speeds, they could hear each other, without any serious distortions.

"_YEAH?!_"

"_WHY ARE WE SINGING A SONG FROM MEWTWO'S REVENGE?!"_

"FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MIND! I USED TO OWN THE SOUNDTRACK!"

_"YOU START SINGING THE POKE'MON SONG, AND YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"_

"NO ARGUMENT FROM ME!"

"Excuse me, don't you know yelling's _extremely_ rude?" Talon turned his head, and gaped. A guy with brown hair, wearing the red and white of the Bulldogs, looking in his twenties, was _keeping up with him. _He was also looking at Talon with a very-

**POW!**

"_SHIT!"_ Talon found himself plastered against the hull of a tank, with excruciating pain running through every part of his body. He gritted his teeth as he fell to the ground on his knees. A pair of feet blurred into existence in front of him. His esper sense screamed _danger!_

_A little late, aren't we?_ Talon inquired bitterly of his extra-sensory perception, looking up to the body of the man who owned the feet. He had an eyebrow raised at the Coloradoan.

"You know, you're the first… 'Wing foot demon', as the religious members of my town back in Australia called me, I've met. Other than myself, of course."

"Gee, I'm honored. Let's start a club," Talon snarled, lunging at the Bulldog with his max-

**WHAM!**

"_OW! MOTHER *@^$%#!!!"_ Talon cursed, knocked into the trunk of a tree. 

"_You bastard!_" Shrieked Lucia, diving at the speedy Bulldog with both her fists out. Using a judo move, the Bulldog trooper deftly stuck the silver-haired girl in her neck, sending her to the ground with a dull thud. He bent down, confirmed that she was still breathing, and turned to the young Coloradoan.

Talon jumped to his feet with all of his combined speed and agility, and began to run. He was distinctively aware of the Australian keeping up, only a few meters behind. Talon leapt into the air and kicked off the turret of a tank, going into a roll and coming up with his sword pointed right at the pursuing Bulldog soldier.

He found himself staring down the barrel of an M-16. He shifted his gaze up to the now-smirking Bulldog.

"_Do_ be serious, kid," he drawled, a second before he fired. _BOOM!_

Talon, not having faced this situation before, but having faced bullets all too many times in the past, instantly sped himself up and threw himself to the side. Even when they weren't running, the two "wing foots" still had their molecules vibrating at an enhanced velocity, and thus adjust what speed they were at, relative to everything else. 

The bullet grazed his cheek, and took a bite out of his ear, but other than that, there was no damage. Talon slashed his sword upwards, slicing the gun in half. The world around them remained in it's eerie, slow motion silence, as the Bulldog soldier looked down at the useless gun in his hands, then at the outstretched sword in Talon's.

"Not bad… Even though you have no technique." Talon growled under his breath.

"_What?!_"

"You've probably relied on your speed and your sword your whole life, right? Well, since the Cataclysm… Thus, when you face someone trained in at least fifty different forms of martial arts, all you've got is luck on your side." 

"I've still got my-" _Clang!_ The Bulldog trooper had kicked Greyspar out of Talon's hands, leaving the Coloradoan to stare dumbly at his palms. He looked up at the Aussie, a nervous smile on his face.

"Eh heh… I'd be face faulting right now, were this an anime."

***~''~***

"Wow," breathed Arney, grinning. "How'd you escape?" The professor smiled boyishly, his eyes suddenly dancing with mirth.

"It was extremely fortunate for me, that a certain… How you say… _Impatient _member of Lady Lye's forces had taken matters into his own hands?"

***~''~***

"Well, young one… I must say, you have quite a talent there," observed Colonel Macfarlane, to the defiant Talon and unconscious (and drooling) Lucia. Both were handcuffed in the back of a truck, as the Bulldog convoy continued on it's course to annihilate Atlanta. The Coloradoan glared at the Aussie.

"And, Lady Nicole rewards those who help her, very much," the colonel continued, smiling at both. "Would you not join us? Your lives would be spared. In fact, you all would be spared."

"I don't take kindly to dictators," Talon sneered. Macfarlane raised an amused eyebrow.

"And what, then, is Lady Lye? I-" _Crackle_. Macfarlane sighed, and pressed the talk button on his radio.

"Macfarlane."

"Sir, there are-" The connection burst into static, as a _boom_ resounded through the air. The sounds of gunfire through the canvas of the truck's canopy became known.

"What now?" Growled Macfarlane. He leapt out the truck and blurred away, leaving Talon and Lucia, alone.

"Well, this is great, isn't it, Lucy-chan?" Talon muttered. Lucia, still out cold, drooled on obliviously. Talon sighed.

VMMMMMM… A loud buzzing sound went outside, closely followed by the sounds of machine gun fire. _RATATATATATA!_

"SHIT!" Talon threw himself and Lucia to the floor of the truck, bullets bursting through the canvas on either side. Talon raised his head up, and watched out the back of the truck in shock.

Two vehicles, rather like large green boats floating on black rafts, raced by. Sitting in the front seats were the pilots, steering the strange but exceptionally quick vehicles, while standing in the back seats, troops manning heavy machine guns on swiveling mounts blasted away at the Bulldog vehicles. The truck Talon and Lucia were on skidded to a halt, and Talon managed to pull Lucia with him, bound as he was.

"Damnit… C'mon! _Grrr_…" Talon fell out of the truck, Lucia falling on top of him. The Coloradoan began to squirm his way along the ground as a worm, slinking like a slinky to the edge of the forest. Lucia mumbled something behind him, as he tugged on her collar.

"Damn… Stupid… _Useless-_" _VMMMM!!! _One of the strange, hovering attack vehicles skidded to a halt in front of them, and Talon looked up at…

"My Talon-kun, you look worse for wear," Mutsumi giggled. Talon gaped.

"How…? Our telepathic link was-"

_I disconnected it in order to let you focus,_ Mutsumi responded silently, stooping off her vehicle, and working on unbinding her "bodyguard" and Tanaka.

"Lady Lye's people stumbled on this experimental weapons facility in Marietta," Mutsumi continued aloud, finally getting Talon's hands free. The wing foot demi-god bent down and began to work on the rope binding his legs.

"They sixteen of these… Ara… G.E.V.s?"

"G.E.V.s?"

"I believe they stand for 'Ground Effect Vehicle,'" Mutsumi explained, getting Lucia's bonds loose as Talon was made free. The Coloradoan leapt to his feet, pulled Mutsumi into a quick kiss, and smiled at her.

"I'll be right back," he reassured, as he took a gun from the still-stationary hovercraft and leapt off at top speed. The other troopers in the hovercraft gawked at him, as Lucia finally came to in Mutsumi's arms.

"Gurgh… Mommy, did you get implants?"

Needless to say, it was a sweatdrop moment.

***~''~***

"So?"

"So… What?" Arney sighed dramatically, putting her well-manicured fingertips to her face.

"_So_… What happened after that?" Talon shrugged, rubbing the back of his head.

"Nothing really… Colonel Greg and Nicole had escaped, as Mutsumi had knocked out everyone in the Bulldog convoy… Aside from us, of course. And, they vanished into the West, not to be heard from again for a very, _very_ long time…"

"Okay… Then what? Isn't this the part where you and Mutsumi finally establish your own power base?"

"Well," Talon said, a boyish smile on his face, "why don't you tell it to me?"

Arney rolled her eyes, sighing deeply.

"This is just like your pop oral quizzes… You just have us stand in front of the room, and give a lecture off the tops of our heads."

"Doesn't it let you _learn_, though?" Talon pressed, smiling fondly at the girl.

"I suppose… All right. Lady Lye, as she _was_ just a mortal, passed away a decade later, after naming you and Talon as some of her top advisors. There was a vote, and the people unanimously voted for Mutsumi to be their queen. There have been rumors, though-"

"That Mutsumi fixed the vote with her powers?" Talon asked mildly. Arney shrugged, a slightly embarrassed smile on her pale face.

"Er… Yes."

"Believe me, Mutsumi was too good-natured to do something like that," Talon reassured, "it was her kind, good spirit that shined through that earned her the throne. Please continue."

"Um… In any event, Mutsumi named you head of the military, as other demi-gods and goddesses, not to mention rogue mortal groups, kept trying to invade and take over. So… You built the Otohime Union-"

"As it came to be known…"

"Do you _always_ have to interrupt?"

"My apologies, it's a bad habit of mine. Do go on."

"Ahem. Otohime Union, into a world power, matched only by the Naru Empire. Your GEVs, in multiple variations and types, were the mainstay of your ground forces, while advanced fighter aircraft allowed you to rule the air. And, your navy of trimaran aircraft carriers, multi-role nuclear submarines, and modular destroyers and cruisers made you a force to be reckoned with!"

"Yes, yes… with the Great Continental Shift of 2039 certainly changed the playing field, hm?"  
"I'll say," gasped Arney, "The Earth had experienced around 250 million years of continental shift virtually overnight, geologically speaking. In 61 years, Australia and South-Eastern Asia merged with each other, Africa and Europe collided, the Mediterranean vanishing as it was crushed between the two, while

England, along with the rest of Europe, was pushed far to the north, changing orientation as it did so.

"Northern and Southern America moved positions, the Atlantic widening as the Americas distanced themselves from Africa," recited Talon, "while proportionately decreasing their distance from Eurasia on the Pacific side. Antarctica moved northward, shifting and beginning a long thawing process."

"At the midpoint," Arney continued breathlessly, "The Atlantic shrunk as the Americas and Euro-Africa approached each other. The distance across the Pacific Ocean grew as the Atlantic directional shift occurred. Northern and Southern America themselves again changed positions as the two continents reverted to resembling their former locations in relation to each other."

"Africa and Eurasia retained their physical contact, at this stage a merged continent," Talon added," Antarctica continued its northern shift, colliding with the Australian continent and merging with Australasia."

"Until finally, in 2100," Arney finished in a stage whisper, her eyes alight in glee, "The two continents of the Americas merged with each other as they collided with Africa, and today this continental area is known simply as America."

"Keep in mind, " Talon noted, " that North America and South America are still recognized as separate regions."

"Of course. Um… Oh! Africa moved into its final position, and of course retained its original continental name, while the orientation of the Asian continent changed slightly until coming to rest in what is known as Eurasia. These three continental areas are all physically connected by land to one another, trapping in their center the basin known as the Inland Ocean. The merging of Antarctica with Australia was completed, forming the continental area of Australasia."

"But, under the surface of the oceans, each of the landmasses were now merged as one continent: The super continent Pangea Ultima, though it is generally referred to as Pangea," came Talon's coda, the professor smirking at his pupil.

"I memorized Mr. Riam Kaikiaichi, Chief Economic Advisor to Lady Suu of the SASA's, report. As I recall, you co-wrote that paper," boasted Arney, grinning broadly.

"I just did the big calculations," Talon shrugged, smiling thoughtfully. "Riam did the hard stuff."

"Whatever happened to him, anyway?"

"He served Lady Suu with Lady Sarah, until the Second Goddess War, before retiring with Seta and Sarah to China. They run a martial arts school to this day, and have a number of children."

"And so," Arney grinned, "we're finally to the good stuff!"

"'Good stuff', Miss Arney? Mind being more specific?"

"_The Light of Evil_," Arney whispered, a slight glint appearing in her eyes Talon wasn't so sure he liked. He took a deep drink of water, before slumping down in his seat with a sigh.

"And, I suppose you wish me to tell you about it, mm?"

"What else?"

***~''~***

**__**

And the saga rolls on…

NEXT TIME: The First Goddess War begins, with Naru's attempt to take Keitaro back from the Otohime Union by force. Meanwhile, in Texas, the Light of Evil has been found…

****

Silver: Sorry I didn't put your part in, I just didn't know how to put it in. But, don't sweat it! You're an extremely talented writer, and your contribution to this series will be wonderful!  


Everyone Else: THE FIRST WAR SAGA IS NEXT! For those of you still contributing, here is the strategic situation. A map of the world in question is available if you request it, courtesy of our own DigitalAvatar! Thank him for doing this, BTW:

Naru's Empire comprises the Western half of North America, while the Otohime Union has the Eastern half. Haruka is stationed up in Africa, while Kitsune and Shinobu, using their powers, transplanted their peoples to South America. The rest of the world will be filled out in the next century, as the Dual Empire will make it's capital in what's left of Babylon.

For the years of the Second Goddess War (or, the Fanboy War), Kitsune will be in the Americas, Kanako in East Asia, Motoko in Russia, Suu and Shinobu in Northern and Western Europe, the neutral forces in the Mediterranean Mountains and the rest is Naru land. 

  
The Void is in Chicago, right at Ben's doorstop.

Now: I strongly encourage everyone writing at least one passage that does not deal with their own character, in order to make the story more diverse. This is just a suggestion though.

Thank you very much! Happy Holidays!


	15. West Meets East: 2100

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 15

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

****

This first section was written by Kebinu. Just a heads up...

***~''~***

__

December 6th, 2100

Naru exhaled and drew breath again, the scent of steam and chlorine filling her nostrils and lungs as she rested her head against a rubberized cushion. Drawing her left hand out of the hot water she was submerged to the neck in, she rubbed her wet forehead and sighed. Bathing in a hot tub was simultaneously relaxing and draining; the steam choked the already humid and stuffy air and made it somewhat difficult for her to breathe. Given the choice, she would have preferred the feel of a good old-fashioned natural hot spring like the one she had spent so much time in back in Japan, but Kebinu had assured her that the nearest hot springs in America were located in the Yellowstone area to the north, and also that scalding hot sulfur-water would hardly benefit her complexion.

Twisting herself slightly in the hot water, she turned to look out the twentieth story window of what was once the Embassy Suites Hotel of Denver, now her imperial headquarters, wiping some fog away from the glass and gazing out at the cloudy sky. Since she had arrived in America, she had gradually become fond of cloudy days.

Days like these let you savor a bad mood.

Slinking down into the churning, bubbling water again, she closed her eyes and let out a soft moan as she stretched her arms underwater. Being the ruler of a country could be awfully boring; when all responsibility rested on your subordinates, you were often left without much to do. Just sitting around could be frightfully boring.

__

If Keitaro was here, it'd never be this boring, she thought quietly. _He'd come barging in and see me naked, and then we'd get in some crazy argument again_…

As fast as she felt the smile creep into her cheeks, it fell off her face. It had been decades upon decades since she had seen him; surely he was dead by now. Scowling now, bitter memories came back. It should never have been this way; he should have stayed by her side before the disaster, and they should have lived on together. But instead he left her, for America.

With _her_.

Naru muttered a Japanese curse word under her breath, though it came out garbled now that she was sitting with only her nose, eyes and hair above water. Sitting up, she felt the anger rise up inside her and did nothing to suppress it. It was strange, how the people you could feel the closest to could be the ones you could hate the most.

__

Narusegawa, I'm going to America to study…

What?! Why, Keitaro? Tokyo U. ought to be as good as any American school!

They have field and graduate programs that just can't be duplicated here. I feel like that's where my future lies…

But… what if something happens to you? After all this, I don't want to lose you…

I'm not going alone, Narusegawa.

What?

"Her."

__

Mutsumi will be coming with me.

What? Why her_? Why not me?_

Narusegawa, please, don't make this personal.

"How the hell could I not?" Naru muttered to herself. 

__

Mutsumi suggested it to me; she'd already planned to go over there, so we can live together. I think it's a really great idea, since you have to stay here to go to school.

"I should have known. Mutsumi, always playing the stupid ditz. '_Ara-ara, Naru-chan_!'" she snarled mockingly. "'_Ara ara, I think I'll steal your fiancé, Naru-chan! Ara ara, you won't be upset, will you, Naru-chan? Ara ara!_' God damn you, you stupid, anemic, backstabbing, giggling _bitch_!"

"Empress?"

Kebinu's tenor voice pierced through the steam and caught Naru off guard. Quickly shutting her mouth, she whirled to face the door.

"What? What is it?!" she called out frantically, hoping he hadn't heard too much of her rant.

"May I come in? I have some important news to deliver."

She heard the handle of the door begin to turn, and leapt to her feet—at which point she realized she was in no way clothed and quickly dropped back into the water with a loud splash.

"Wait!" she yelled desperately. "Don't come in yet!"

To her relief she heard the door handle click back into its stationary position. That was the fundamental difference between the two men; Keitaro would have just barged in anyway. Exhaling, she rose from the hot tub again and reached for a towel. Deftly wrapping it around her body and knotting it in one motion, she stepped out of the spa and onto the tile floor. Shaking her head to clear her hair out of her face, she cleared her throat and announced in her calmest, most authoritative voice:

"All right, I'm decent. You may enter."

The handle twisted again, and Kebinu stepped through the doorway. She noticed immediately that his eyes made a brief detour to her terry-cloth-covered breasts, and smiled slightly at the reddish tint that snuck onto his cheeks. She cleared her throat loudly, jarring his attention away from her figure and towards her face.

"My lady," he began quickly, visibly humiliated at being caught looking at her, "I have received some remarkable information from our intelligence agents. I believe you will be very happy to be informed of it."

"I could use some good news," Naru grunted. "What's up?"

Kebinu drew a deep breath, and when he spoke it was firm but very unenthusiastic. "According to the sources, we have discovered the existence of a man who fits your description of Keitaro Urashima."

Naru's heart leapt into her throat.

"Are you serious?"

"Quite. I wouldn't have gone to you if I didn't think the information was reliable."

  
Suddenly the bitter memories were shoved out of her mind. Keitaro was alive. If he had survived for a hundred years, then he must have become ageless as well—and that meant they could start over, without the stupid entrance exams, without the bullshitting around, without the ditz getting in the way—

"You were right, Kebinu," Naru smiled, pacing across the wet tile floor to stand in front of him, now looking positively radiant. "This just made my day. Where is he?"

"I don't know the exact location, but he's believed to be residing in the eastern United States, in the territory of…"

"…the Otohime Union," Naru finished, her voice rising in alarm as she felt her new future with Keitaro starting to fall to pieces before it even began. "Do you think she knows?"

"Queen Mutsumi? Who knows?" Kebinu responded. "We're not exactly welcome in their territory, in case you forgot. It was hard enough just finding out where this guy was."

"I see," Naru frowned. She thought for a moment, then stepped towards him again. "Kebinu, if I may be so bold…"

Kebinu raised an eyebrow and smirked. "In the bathroom? Empress, how scandalous…"

"I didn't mean bold like that, you pervert!" she barked, incensed. "Yeesh… now listen to me."

"Forgive me," he said quickly. "You have my undivided attention."

Naru stared right into his eyes, hoping to impress the urgency of the situation into him. "There are two things I need you to do for me. The first, and most important, is to find Keitaro and bring him back to me. I don't care what you have to do to do it, but failure is not an option. We have to get to him before Mutsumi does. The second…" she trailed off as she turned away from him, then faced him again, "Is to build me a replica of _Hinata-Sou_."

"The inn you lived in when you lived in Japan?" Kebinu replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. I want it finished as fast as possible. When Keitaro gets here…" Naru said as she gazed towards the ceiling, "I want him to remember how it was between us in the old times. It's the only way I can convince him he belongs with me again."

Kebinu was silent. Naru turned to look at him and recognized the emotion in his eyes immediately. She could see the pain burning behind brown eyes, knowing that every fond word she had ever spoken of Keitaro over the many years they had been working together had pierced him like a dagger through the heart. She watched this struggle within him, observed the battle between the side bound by duty and the other, jealous side that wanted to fail, that wanted for Keitaro to fall off the face of the earth.

"Empress," he said finally, standing straight up and looking her squarely, "I have never failed you, and I never will. Anything you need, I will give it to you. As long as you are happy, my problems are inconsequential."

"Do you really mean that?" she said calmly, her voice betraying no emotion.

"Always," he replied. Then, in her native language: "_Zutto_."

She wordlessly paced towards him until she stood even with him, and closed her eyes. He did not react.

"Thank you," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. For a second she kept her eyes closed, before opening them to gaze up into his face. He looked down at her with a mixture of elation and shock, and she couldn't help but smile. It was a wonderful feeling, to know she was wanted.

"Empress," he began, "I—"

Knowing he was about to confess his affection, she quickly silenced him with her lips, closing her eyes and prompting him to do the same, though she didn't dare to open her mouth and deepen the kiss or even give him a chance to respond. After just a second she broke away, though hardly without regret, while gently stroking his cheek with her hand and smiling at him.

"You always talk about how bad your luck is, so… consider that a kiss for luck," she winked. "You are a godsend, and you deserve the best in life. I pray that you will find someone who can show you any measure of the devotion you have given me."

"Empress," he started again, his cheeks burning and his expression grave.

"My name is Naru."

"Naru, then. I thank you as well, but know that no one on this planet will ever be as important to me as you. And…"

"…and?"

"…um, could you please let me go?" he stammered sheepishly. "You're getting my clothes all wet…"

"Oh, you! You're impossible!" Naru growled. "Can't you just shut up and appreciate it when a hot girl hugs you? _Mou_!!!"

She released him and he stepped back quickly, his face crimson, and bowed rapidly.

"I will find and return Urashima to you, and you will both live at _Hinata-Sou_ once again. This I swear to you, Empress Naru."

"Very well. I will be expecting more good news from you, Kebinu," Naru responded, once again speaking authoritatively.

He nodded quickly and excused himself, touching his lips with his fingers as he stepped out of the room and closed the door. Naru stared at the door for a moment before sighing again as she let her towel fall to the floor and slipped back into the hot tub, quietly wondering why she had stopped the kiss so quickly. Was it that she feared she was giving Kebinu the wrong idea?

Or was it fear that she might decide he was a better kisser than Keitaro?

She hugged her shoulders, shivering despite the warmth all around her. There were now two men in her life; one whom she loved, but had been betrayed by; and one who loved her, and whom she had betrayed. In the end, there could only be one.

She shook her head and resolved to focus on Keitaro. This time it would be different. This time it could be just the two of them, together, living happily ever after. The way they were always supposed to.

And this time, forever. Nothing would interfere. Not a giggling _former_ best friend, and not a tall, long-haired American boy.

"Forgive me, Kebinu, for everything I've put you through," she whispered into the steam. "I'm the lowest sort of woman."

***~''~***

"My lady?"

Mutsumi paused, and looked up from the myriad of papers scattered across her desk. Standing in the doorway was a young woman, red-headed and pale. She coughed slightly to clear her throat, as Mutsumi sat back in her chair.

"Yes, Mary?"

"Your majesty, the Wanderer leader has arrived."

"Ara... So soon?" Mary sweatdropped.

"Er... Yes, your majesty." Mutsumi smiled in her innocent, 'oh dear' sort of way, before nodding.

__

Send him in, she ordered telepathically. Mary bowed, and walked out the door again. A moment passed before she was back, leading in a cloaked figure.

"Presenting Lord... er..."

"Keitaro Urashima," the figure behind murmured, a kind smile in his voice. Mary nodded, smiled nervously, before bowing herself out of the room. Mutsumi couldn't contain a small giggle at the new secretary (or herald, as traditional royal titles had come back into fashion). She was like a young chick tottering around the yard, scared out of her wits when there really was no need.

But, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Hm..." Keitaro lowered his hood, his face the same after seventy years. His smile, the light in his eyes, the softness of his gaze, the warmth of his aura-all remained unchanged from the last day the two had met. Mutsumi rose, and walked around her desk to the former manager's embrace.

"Oh!" Mutsumi tripped over a bump in the carpet, and instinctively Keitaro reached out, catching the queen before she hit the floor. Keitaro smiled fondly down at the queen, while Mutsumi looked up with her innocent smile again.

"Ara... I'll have to get that hammered out in the morning,"she murmured, their eyes locking once again.

"Yes, it'd probably be a good idea," Keitaro said quietly. They looked at eachother a bit longer before they began to laugh.

They pulled eachother close, the joyful guffaw fest being answer enough for what they were feeling at the time...

***~''~***

_It isn't spying. No, it most certainly is not spying_, Talon reassured himself. 

_I'm just looking out for my Goddess, with our mind link... Without her knowing. But then, so what? I've done that plenty of times... Yeah..._

Andrew Joshua Talon, Duke of the Shenandoah Valley, Count of the Potomac, and Supreme Commander of the Otohime Union's military, sighed dismally.

_And here I am, "watching" her with that... that..._

"Jikei?" Talon blinked, and turned his head. Outside the cockpit window, Lucia Tanaka stood on a ladder, looking concerned.

"Hm? Oh... Hello, Lucia," returned the general, smiling wanly. He sighed, and fell back into the ejection seat of his old plane; A Tanaka Corporation, F/A-22C Raptor strike fighter, one of the first off the assembly line during the New York War of 2067. He absently ran his fingers over the familiar control stick, slightly worn from all the times he'd held it, but...

"You know... As a General, you _are_ entitled to a new fighter," commented Lucia, crossing her arms and leaning against the plane's hull. "One of the new G models would be a good choice. I've got one myself... Very sweet." Talon raised an eyebrow at his "little sister".

"Hey... My plane's still state-of-art, and _loads_ of other pilots still use the C."

"Yeah... Just a thought," Lucia commented airily, shifting slightly, her silver hair falling over her eyes. "So... What's wrong?"

"Mm?"

"You're out here, sulking in your plane-"

"I am _not_ sulking," Talon said indignantly. Lucia smirked.

"Yeah, right. You're sulking, because Queen Mutsumi's with that _really_ cute guy she made a promise with when they were both little kids, and I'm willing to bet that they're getting 'reaquainted'. And 'cause of this, you're jealous."

"..."

"Right?"

"... I _loathe_ you."

"You're a _lot_ easier to read than other people think," Lucia shot back with a smirk.

"_Other people _haven't had the luxury of knowing me for seventy _years_," Talon growled, sighing and hitting the starboard side of the Raptor's hull in frustration.

"...So... Are they, you know...?"

"... I'm not sure. It wouldn't be... Ethical of me, to check on them."

"You're really hurt by this, aren't you?"

"..." Talon sighed, and looked up at the hanger's ceiling, as if beckoning some agent of Heaven down to aid him.

"I've... Been with her, for nearly a _century..._ I've served her, protected her, comforted her... We were... Well, **I**was... Thinking about starting a relationship, you know. Mutsumi does care for me, and I do for her..." Talon narrowed his eyes to furious slits.

"But, the _moment_ that _idiot_ comes back into her life, she's all _gaga_ over him! I mean, I should have... I could have..."

Talon took a deep breath, and lowered his head to stare at his feet. He felt Lucia's hand on his shoulder, comforting, _real_...

"... It's, you know... Still not too late," Lucia murmured. Talon sucked in another deep breath.

"I know... I'll just. Wait. If she wants... You know... I'm fine. As long as she's happy... I'll be _fine_..."

"Eventually."

"Yeah..." Talon shook his head, before looking at Lucia quizzically.

"You know... I haven't been flying in this thing for over a _year_."

"You **have** been behind a desk or over a map alot lately," agreed Lucia, smiling like the Mona Lisa. Talon turned in his seat, clipped open a few locks, and pulled open a small "trunk" in the plane. Pulling out his old flight helmet (rather like a spacesuit's, with a transparent face shield), he tucked it on, pressed a button near his ear, and cleared his throat.

"General Talon to Control Ops. Do you read, over?"

"_Aye sir, this is Control Ops. It's a pleasure to hear from you, sir._"

"The same, Corporal... Miller, I believe? Over."

"_Yes sir, that's me. What do you need, sir? Over."_

"Any patrols scheduled for tonight? Over."

_"Yes sir. Captain Argus and Lieutenant Finch are due to launch in 30 minutes. Over._"

"All right then... Call up Lieutenant Finch, tell him he's got the night off. I'll be taking his place. Over."

"_Er... Roger that, sir. You sure? Over."_

"Oh yes, Corporal. Don't worry about it. Just tell Lieutenant Finch to have dinner someplace with a nice young lady... Or man, whichever. On me."

"_Aye sir._"

"You just _love_ making your troops love you, General," Lucia commented, grinning widely at the demi-god. Talon grinned back at her.

"Hey, what good's government money if it doesn't make people happy? Now, where did they put my pressure suit..."

***~''~***

"Lord Kebinu? We have entered Otohime Union airspace." Kebinu, sitting in a seat behind the two pilots, nodded.

"Very well. Have you continued to broadcast our 'Peace envoy' code?"

"Well sir... If we weren't, I'm not sure we'd _be_ here right now," commented the co-pilot, pointing out the window of the NC-2 Mei long-range transport. "Those missile batteries down there don't look very _friendly_..."

"No, they don't, do they?" Asked Kebinu with a wry smile. "Continue on course. We should be coming up on their air patrols in an hour, at most."

"Aye sir." Kebinu stood, stretching to the ceiling, before turning and walking out of the cockpit. He came upon the small galley of the government transport, and, pulling open the proper cabinet, poured himself a drink. He sighed deeply, before downing it in one gulp. He coughed violently, clutching his throat.

"_Ack!_ What the hell-?" Kebinu held the bottle up to his gaze, narrowing his eyes.

_"Official Kitsune Fan Hoarde Sake... 2029_. Hm... Sounds like a good year," Lord Kebinu mused, before taking a smaller shot of the stuff. He still coughed anyway, his eyes watering.

"_Damn,_ that's good stuff," he rasped, clearing his throat. He shook his head, before walking across the cabin to a small viewport. He looked down upon the receding majesty of the Mississipi river, far below the large transport. The fire demi-god sighed deeply, looking down at the glass and bottle.

"I... Live to make my goddess happy," he murmured to himself firmly. "And I _will_..."

***~''~***

****

And the saga rolls on...

NEXT TIME: Under the guise of opening trade relations, Kebinu begins his quest for Keitaro. Though he hasn't far to look...

Meanwhile, in the SASA, Shinobu and Kana talk...

****

The war is only a few chapters away! Stay tuned!

Oh… As Tuxedo Jack is putting together a Flash® Trailer for this fic, I thought it only prudent that everyone else should go about devising a soundtrack for TBOT. Any thought to it?

Contemporary, classical, rock, alternative, jazz-Any and all music pieces we would do well to consider, if they fit the following subjects (which would, in a sense, be the tracks):

1. The Cataclysm

(Something dramatic, smacking of doom and destruction, but hope at the end)

2. The Goddesses

(A mixed piece, that feels of the consequences of power and immortality, both good and bad)

3. The Prophecy

(Music that is quietly dramatic)

4: The Champions (all the Ocs ^__^)

(A mixed piece of devotion, but with contrasts)

5. The Light of Evil

(Music for a great battle - Think Star War's _Duel of the Fates_, only something… Better.)

6. The Dual Empresses

(Coronation-type music.)

7. Naru's Betrayal

(Dark music with lots of activity, confusion, and a battle-type air about it.)

8. Kanako and Kana's Love

(Dark, romantic music)

9. The Second Goddess War

(Hm… Something that would sum up the Fanboy War nicely- Quirky yet serious, dramatic and action-packed. Hm… Something by Mozart, perhaps? Nah…)

10. The Sacrifice

(Sad music)

11. Peace

(Just what it says ^__^)

12. The End of Evil

(Kebinu should know what I'm talking about - Therefore, I leave it to him to determine this specific track) 

13. The Knight (Talon's Theme)

(Well… I'm not exactly sure how to describe myself in music. My little sister, Lucia, could probably do a far better job of it than I)

14. The Consort of Fire (Kebinu's Theme)

(Same thing with my theme applies here)

15. The Necromancer (Kana)

(Meh… Something dark and scary should do nicely)

16. End Credits

(I was actually thinking "My Song", the last track on Christina Aguilera's _Stripped_ album. It would seem to sum up this fic - At least for me. Anyone have different thoughts?)

****


	16. The Launching of Plans

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 16

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

****

Just a heads up: The Blooper and Outtakes shall be consigned to the end of the story with each update, in order to avoid confusion. And thus they shall remain, as "Special Features", so to speak. In any event...

***~''~***

__

Somewhere over Tennesee. December 6th, 2100

****

"_Rebel 091, to Rebel 092, read me sir? Over?"_

"Roger that Rebel 091. What's up? Over."

"I've picked up a general broadcast, bearing 341. Scan the channels. Over."

"Roger. Scanning... It's an ENE radio... "Peace"? Hm..."

"Should we get a precise scan of the source, sir? Over."

"Negative. Let's not give away our position so soon. For the moment, let's just close in and see if we can find out who's making the call. And stop acting like a new recruit, okay? This is your** _patrol_._ Over."_**

***~"~***

"Sir? Two incoming signals on forward radar." Kebinu rose from his seat in the cockpit, and looked over the shoulder of the Mei's pilot. Two blips steadily approached.

"They're small... Only about the size of bats," noted the co-pilot. Kebinu shook his head.

"That's because of their stealth technology. Raise them on all channels."

***~"~***

****

"_We're being hailed. Over."_

"I noticed. I'm assuming they recognized our particular radar signatures. Over."

"Or, they had trouble believing that two birds would be flying at 10,000 feet at Mach 0.7. Over."

"Cute. Let's respond. Over."

***~"~***

_"**This is Otothime Air Force Patrol 0-0-niner, to unidentified ENE aircraft. Please state your intentions for entering our airspace. Over."**_ Kebinu smirked at the two pilots, who looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Er, sorry sir. We're still kind of-"

"Don't worry about it. Just give me the mike." Kebinu took the device, and clicked the "Talk" button.

"Patrol 009, this is a diplomatic mission, to meet with Queen Mutsumi and dialogue with the intention of establishing trade routes. Over."

There was silence for a few moments, before the comm system crackled.

****

"_Confirmed, ENE Flight. We will escort you to Andrews Air Force base, unless you require a stopover. Over."_

"No, we're fine, Patrol. Lead the way. Over."

Outside, the two sleek F-22s took up positions on either side of the massive transport. It was doubtful anyone on the Mei (aside from, perhaps, Kebinu) would notice the significance of them maintaining nearly the exact-same altitude, and both being slightly below the ENE heavy cargo craft.

In the patrol leader's cockpit, Captain Janet Argus looked over the holographic displays projected onto the inside of her helmet. Operating much like the Heads-Up-Display, or HUD, on previous fighter aircraft, this system made sure the pilot knew everything that was going on with noticably greater efficiency. At the moment, a text message had popped up in front of her.

****

__

Scambler codes 31-A-45 engaged. Confirmation of decryption? 

Argus switched on the TypeSpeak option on her helmet, and replied in careful, precise speech, which showed up as text on her faceplate.

**__**

Confirmed. What's up?

__

Can't help being slightly paranoid. The ENE has shown no interest in us for the last twenty years -- Why the sudden change of heart?

****

Sir, with all due respect, am I the kind of person you should be talking to about this?

You have served on General Miller's staff before, as a strategic analyst. Your thoughts?

Too soon to tell, sir. 

Probably... Still, it never hurts to be a little paranoid.

Sir, in your case a LOT less paranoia would do wonders.

Oi.

***~''~***

__

Montreal, Canada

"Has Lord Benjamin been shown to his quarters?"

"Yes, Majesty. His luggage has also been taken up." Haruka the First, the Queen of the Urashima Collective States, nodded to the servant before her.

"Very well. Please see that his needs are met." The servant girl bowed, before turning and walking out of the marble, Greek-style throne room. It had once been Montreal's City Hall, but after some renovations Haruka's people had turned it into a palace and command center.

Haruka sat in her modest throne, clothed in a simple but elegant dress, with a ring of pearls crowning her head. The decoration of the central chamber, and indeed, the entire palace, reflected Haruka's style of dress - Simplicity and functionality.

Haruka sighed quietly, adjusting her poise. She looked above to the ornate ceiling, displaying Renaissance-style cherubim and seraphim smiling at the people below.

"Shadow." As ink travels down a page, a shadow crept out from under one of the lights illuminating the Central Chamber. It slid down one of the great pillars holding the roof up, until finally reaching the floor. Here it did ont stop, but slowly made it's way to the center of Haruka's gaze. It then grew up, inflating itself into the form of a young woman. Narrowed white orbs appeared where the eyes would normally be positioned on such a creature, and in it's first action remotely like a humanoid's, bowed respectfully.

"My queen." Haruka shifted again in her throne, resting her chin on her fist.

"What have you seen as of late? I'd prefer to get the information before Kanako does."

"Why, my queen, if I might inquire?" Asked the living Shadow, in a quiet, silky voice.

"She has other matters to attend to. And it is my perogative... is it not?" Haruka inquired. The shadow bowed again.

"Indeed, my queen. Shall I begin?"

"Do so."

"Naru has located Keitaro," Shadow began, "in the Otohime Union. She has sent her agent Kebinu to find him, under guise of diplomacy."

"Does anyone yet suspect his true mission?"

"No, my queen," Shadow assured, shaking her head. "They are all unaware, save one: And he is always paranoid when it comes to his own queen."

"Naturally," Haruka said, as usual, completely devoid of emotion. "He has always been that way. What is the status of their militaries?"

"The Union Airforce numbers 2,000 attack fighters, and 1,000 more craft of various types. Their Navy possesses 500 multi-role strike fighters, and 500 additional craft. 20,000 ground troops, 8,000 combat vehicles constitute their Army. Four aircraft carriers, two battleships, ten cruisers, twenty guided-missile destroyers, eight destroyers, six frigates, twenty-two submarines, and thirty support vessels are their Navy, a large portion of which is currently assigned to exploration and science missions. Nearly 40,000 personnel remain in reserve for all services. 34% of their overall military is on active duty. All personnel are highly trained and highly motivated."

"And the Empire?"

"100,000 ground troops," Shadow continued. "All reasonably well trained. 5,000 Liddo-Walkers of various types as well. Nearly 4,000 light vehicles, and 20,000 troops in reserve. Naru has managed to get a few of the older USN vessels in California operational, including three LHDs, seven cruisers, nine destroyers, and ten submarines. This, in addition to the three _Dreadnaru_-class battleships. Their air force is small in number, only thirty of their great Mei transports. 20% of their forces are on active duty."

"Nothing I haven't heard before," mused Haruka, before giving Shadow a slightly harder look. "But I want you to continue scouting. Observe Kebinu in Washington - I wish to know what he is doing for his mistress. And debrief Kanako before you depart."

"By your leave," Shadow replied, before she darted into the darkness and merged with the void once more. Haruka sat back in her chair, a pale finger pushing back a bang.

"I assume you got all of that," the Queen of the North stated into the chamber. Once again, one of her agents emerged from the shadows, her face devoid of emotion and nearly-mirroring her Queen's.

"Of course. That is the usual practice of our briefings," Kanako replied, tilting her head slightly and surveying her aunt with cat-like interest. Haruka sighed deeply, rising to her feet, and regally walking across the chamber, Kanako only a few marble tiles behind.

"Observations of the happenings in Washington is indeed crucial... But Motoko has felt something stirring in the South."

"I too have felt it. Something...Dark. Calling across the plains." Haruka rose from her throne, her eyes locked with her neice's.

"Take your best operatives, aside from Sadistic Shadow, and find out what it is. I expect your return in two months."

"Duly noted, Haruka. I will find what lies in the South, and destroy it if nessecary."

"Just remember that you are _not_ Sherman. I don't want a repeat of the _last_ 'covert' mission you personally led."

"I had little choice but to send that contingent of Naru Troopers straight to hell, Haruka."

"With a vat of boiling corn syrup," Haruka deadpanned.

"A little messy, perhaps, but nontheless..."

***~''~***

****

And the saga rolls on...

NEXT TIME: Arney fishes out one of Talon's books, and has him read it to her! 

"And my own storytelling isn't good enough?"

"Course it is... I just like the way you wrote this."

"*sweatdrop*"

In the passages that follow: Kana is banished from Shinobu's realm and ignites war between Naru and Mutsumi! Travis find the Light of Evil! And Kanako learns of a new threat...


	17. Filler: Touchdown in Maryland

**The Bonds of Time**

Chapter 17

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore.

***~''~***

**A filler chapter, before the fireworks. Written by Kebinu. Enjoy!**

***~''~***

Andrews AFB, Maryland 

Two streams of super-fast air, churned by the whirl of colossal, counter-rotating propellers, blasted across the concrete tarmac of the base as the NC-2 transport maneuvered into its designated parking spot. As the engines shut down and the whip-like metal blades' movement slowly came to a stop, a pair of eyes narrowed, scanning from within the flight deck at the scene outside the airplane.

"What the hell?" Kebinu mumbled to himself, eyeing the rows of some four dozen troops lined up along the left side of the transport, illuminated by floodlights, standing at attention. "Have they been taking reception protocol tips from Darth Vader?"

The two pilots glanced at him, frowning in confusion.

"Never mind, it's a joke from before your time," he sighed. "Go ahead and get started on the postflight shutdown procedures. Tell our dorsal gunner to stand down and deactivate his turret, and see that the control surfaces are inspected. I'll handle the rough stuff."

*

"Here comes the Badyear blimp," muttered Talon as he watched the transport pull into its parking position and a few technicians ran out to chock the airplane's wheels. He shifted uneasily as the engines shut down and lights blinked on and off within.

"_Jikei_!" Lucia hissed behind him. "You'd better not speak so flippantly when they come out! They're just here for a diplomatic mission!"

"I can't help but be a little suspicious about this, Lucia," Andrew responded calmly, his hand shifting to his waist, where Greyspar hung securely. "Don't you find it a trifle odd that they just up and flew a plane into our territory, without contacting us through any other means first? And with their prime minister on board, no less."

Lucia shrugged. "The empress is reportedly rather impulsive in her decision making. It's not overly surprising, but yes, it's rather unconventional."

"And as for Kebinu himself."

"Prime minister. Fire elemental user, power level unknown. It's quite possible he's second only to the empress herself in that department. Military commander since the empire's inception. Won two major ground campaigns. Known to be highly intelligent, and more than a little."

"Perverted? Tell me something I don't know," Talon muttered. "Be on your guard, everyone. _Especially_ you, Lucia."

*

Turning and walking from the cockpit, into the cabin, where he passed a dozen or so staffers, gathering their belongings and paperwork, Kebinu arrived in the cargo bay, where he examined his axe, strapped securely to the wall. Patting the weapon softly, he turned to find one of his aides standing before him.

"Sir," one of them began, "Are you prepared to disembark?"

"Hm? Oh, Lieutenant Jameson. Yeah. I expect every one of you to be on your best behavior, got it? We're going to have to pick our words very carefully. Those fighters weren't sent for our protection."

"Understood. Did you see anything out of the ordinary?"

"Not from the cockpit, no," Kebinu replied as he unstrapped the axe and looked the weapon up and down, as sharp today as when he found it. "Looks like a standard diplomatic reception. No rooftop snipers or anything like that, if that's what you're worried about. Ready?"

As Kebinu walked over to the side door, Jameson stood next to it and threw a lever on the door, swinging it open. Next, a retractable airstair deployed from the side of the transport, which he descended slowly, taking in his surroundings. The humid air, so unlike the dry mountain atmosphere, was the first thing he noticed. The second thing was the troops. The third thing was a young man standing about twenty feet away, with a young woman slightly behind him, dressed in a flight suit. A sword hung from his side.

"That must be General Talon," he muttered. "Not as tall as I expected. Oh well, here goes nothing."

*

Talon strode forward, his eyes locked on the long-haired man before him, steps measured and even, his hand never straying more than two inches from Greyspar.

"I am Andrew Joshua Talon, military commander of the Otohime Union," he spoke cordially but tersely as he came to a stop three feet from the ambassador. "Welcome to Maryland, Ambassador."

"Hm. Nice to meet you, General," Kebinu replied calmly, nodding. "On behalf of the Empire, I thank you for your hospitality, and for the warm-" he paused slightly both for irony and to review the assembled troops-"reception. I apologize for the suddenness of our visit, but it was the empress' personal order. I hope we're not causing any undue inconvenience."

"Not at all," Talon answered, turning and gesturing for Kebinu to follow. "We've already arranged accommodations for you and your staff; a limousine is standing by. Queen Mutsumi is expecting you."

"Hmm. I look forward to seeing her. The empress has told me quite a bit about her. if she's half as beautiful as I expect, I believe I'll be in for a wonderful surprise," Kebinu smiled slightly as he quickened his pace to walk alongside the OU general, his ears barely picking up the wary growl that briefly escaped Talon's lips before he quickly stopped it. "My staff has their own transportation onboard the transport, but I will be happy to ride with you to her location. I'm not one for talking outside, anyway."

"Understood," Talon replied. "I will escort you to the limo. This way."

"Thank you very much, General. And. madame, you are?" he added, smiling as he turned to Lucia, who trailed just behind them.

"Lucia Tanaka," Lucia replied, giving him a slightly twisted smile. "And I'm not available for coffee later," she added, making her hand spark slightly for emphasis.

"Yowch. Okay, okay, I can take a hint," Kebinu sighed, holding up his hands. Following Talon across the tarmac to a hangar, he stepped through the huge bay door and was hit by the bright light of electric arc lights high overhead. A number of jet fighters were lined up across the hangar in a row, access panels opened and undergoing maintenance-F-22s, an early-21st century American design, Kebinu noted, although with some subtle modifications. 

Arriving at a black stretch limousine with diplomatic license plates, a uniformed soldier opened the door and the three demigods climbed inside. As the soldier closed the door and turned away, neither he nor anyone else noticed as a black streak swept from a shadow cast by one of the jets' wings across the floor of the hangar until it merged with the limousine's own shadow, and remained there as the car started and drove out of the hangar and into the Maryland night.

"Man, having this power just _rocks _sometimes," Shiara Kazikal, aka the Sadistic Shadow, laughed softly to herself as the car headed out onto the highway towards Washington.

***~''~***

**And the saga rolls on...**

NEXT TIME: No, this part is NOT just to deceive you. Next time, truly, the war gets underway! We're just waiting on Tuxy now.

**R&R!**


	18. Filler Continued: Seeing From Afar

****

The Bonds of Time

Chapter 18

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

***~''~***

****

Yes, more filler, until Tuxy finishes his chapter. *sigh*. I'm not being bitter, given that Jack has other concerns to attend to, like a job, bills, and a girlfriend. I'm just unhappy that things are going slowly. In any event, enjoy.

(Note: The passage below was written by Kanako Urashima herself. With help from Mint, probably… In any event, it's supposed to take place in between Suu's rediscovery of NORAD, and Tuxedo Jack's arrival at Cheyenne Mountain.)

***~''~***

The Void is not a friendly place. Dark, having no sun, moon or star, the paths are lit by a sickly purple flame. To be trapped there meant being trapped in a place where time exists in an altered manner. A day in the normal world could easily transform into well worth a century in The Void. Only a few beings with great power could even come to observing the events of the normal world. And, on occasion, the shadowy nature of The Void itself would select from those exiled within its ethereal borders someone who could see into the normal world. These were few and far in between, even the dark Demon Princes of The Void do not have what it takes to escape the darkness of the world. However, among the few who could observe, but not interact, with the human world, were two less than humane sisters, who had wandered into the Void, amazingly, by mistake. This would not be their last time in the realm of darkness, but they would escape.

At the moment, the two were watching a small group, one guy and two girls, walking along an over-grown vineyard.

In the human world, another being that was less than humane walked with two younger looking girls. None of their group was truly human but only he had fully despised his humanity from the very start. He was a Necromancer, a being with no sense of mercy and as he licked the human blood right off his sword's chipped blade. He had just engaged himself in a one-man massacre, slaughtering anything that dared move too close to him. The gangs and hordes of mutated beasts were all over the land that used to be known as New Orleans now. Picking up a fine looking bottle of burgundy, he tucked it into his knapsack and kept walking, making sure to keep an eye on the girls walking behind him. When his ears ceased to pick up the sound of light steps on dead corpses, he turned back to see the girl he was tasked to guard praying over the dead and at the same time, light coming from her was healing those who survived. He waited patiently; popping the bottle open and drinking down half of it in one go. Then, the girl looked at him scornfully.

"You disapprove of my methods?" he asked.

"Clearly, she disapproves." The older of the two sisters in The Void commented.

"Yes, yes I do." The girl, the goddess Shinobu, answered. It was the first time she had ever even looked him directly in the eye, let alone look like she was about to scold him. "We've been traveling under your supposed protection for almost three years now. All this time, I've watched you cut down and slaughter everything. Mutated animals, mad humans, everything! I just…can't stand it anymore, Kana-san."

"The lucky ones are already dead." Kana hissed. "But if it will make you feel easier about this, I know a route with barely any other living beings along it but it'll delay our arrival by a good five years. In five years, the Colorado Springs we hope to find can be a very different place. Humans have the innate skill to ruin anything and everything they get their hands on if given enough time."

"He's absolutely right." One of the sisters in The Void agreed.

"Don't think so badly of people, they're not as hopeless as you think."

Kana simply let it slide and walked off again; knowing Shinobu and Su would follow. "Let's go."

In The Void, one black-haired girl and one blue-haired younger girl looked on. The older, Kanako looked carefully at the Necromancer. She smiled; she liked the rather embittered young man. The Cataclysm and her exile in The Void with her accursed younger sister gave her a similar hatred and disdain towards humanity. Following along as best she could, she noticed her younger sister following as well. She didn't care as she noticed almost a week pass by and they arrived in the location of what used to be the Sandwish Islands wedging itself between North America and Europe. The islands had scattered all over and much like the rest of the world, chaos reigned there. A monsoon was coming and Kana and his group had opted to take refuge in what was left of the country's maximum security prison, where the smell of the corpses of the inmates who died during the Cataclysm still lingered on. However, Kana stood outside, in the rain. Kanako leaned closer to him, as best her ethereal limits could, and gently leaned close to him.

"Such magnificent hatred, such beautiful rage and such eternal darkness…" Kanako whispered in his ear, though she knew he could not hear her. "We will meet again and rivers of blood will flow across the land."

"Sister…" the blue-haired girl asked.

"Yes, Mint?" Kanako answered bitterly as she walked away from Kana.

"Who is he? Why do I feel so…drawn to him?"

"His rage, his hatred, his distaste for humanity is what draws us to him." Kanako answered as she walked away, prompting Mint to follow. "We will see him again, little sister. So I am telling you now, hands off. He's mine, find yourself a second-rate substitute. I am warning you already, the Necromancer is mine."

"What if he likes me better than you?" Mint asked playfully.

"Then I'll kill you."

"You'd kill your own sister over a guy?!"

"He's no ordinary man. Even you can sense that, Mint. Besides, we're all going to die sometime, better sooner than later for you." Kanako hissed, grabbing her younger sister by the throat and choking her with one hand as the shadowy darkness wrapped around her arm. Kanako smiled viciously. "So, for once that cockroach Naru was right. We're not human anymore; we're transcending anything we were meant to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Destiny, my dear sister, destiny calls us." Kanako smiled softly as she let go. She let out a demonic, maniacal laugh filled with disdain and sadistic glee. "I always knew my years studying the occult would pay off for me one day. Come, Mint. We have for ourselves a dragon to send to his demise."

Meanwhile, Shinobu was starting to worry. She still held on to her disapproval of Kana's methods, his disregard for all life but she did owe him her life. His brutality and barbaric tactics saved her and Su's life on thousands of occasions. And just that morning, she saw her sitting on a rock in a field of flowers, holding a single white rosebud in his hands. He was looking at it almost kindly, his expression filled with gentility and his eyes more angelic than even she could have imagined. She avoided her being detected by him and looked on as he simply stared at the flower amidst the white cherry blossoms beginning to swirl around the garden. 

Then, as he closed his eyes, a single teardrop fell. Yet, mere minutes later, he was back to his cruel self and they were off and moving again until they decided to take shelter. She couldn't sleep and so she stood near the door, away from the torrential downpour and tugged at the sleeve of his coat while he stood there. He stood with his sword at the ready, a small force of skeleton warriors ready to aid him nearby. He was stern and grim, nothing like the one Shinobu saw holding the flower that morning.

"Come in, it's late and you'll catch a cold if you stay out there like this." Shinobu said, almost as if she were pleading with him. Whether she liked it or not, she cared about him.

"I'd rather not."

"You're required to obey my commands, right?"

"To an extent and as long as it does not interfere with my task, yes."

"Then I'm ordering you, come in and rest." Shinobu said, taking his hand and smiling softly at him. She wondered if she could somehow melt through his armor and find that gentle youth she saw with the white rosebud earlier. "I barely know anything about you, tell me about yourself."

Kana sighed and went in, not once releasing his grip on his sword's handle. "There's not much to tell. Besides, I don't like talking about myself."

"Where were you born? Where are your parents?" Shinobu asked, sitting beside him. Oddly, despite his cold demeanor, his body was quite warm and inadvertently, she found herself creeping closer to him. He didn't react at all. "You know; the basic stuff. At least tell me how you seem to know everything."

"I was raised by an order of lesbian necromancers and assassins with no actual name. They lived by the motto 'Viator Intervigillium Vividarium' [Latin: The Messenger Sleeps in the Garden] and they trained me." Kana answered as he noticed Shinobu's body lean into his, resting on his weary body. Her eyes were closed but she was clearly awake. "They made no claim to be my parents. They admitted they killed my parents and kidnapped me. I didn't care. I was trained to feel no emotions."

"That sounds so…horrible."

Kana ignored Shinobu's comment. "I was training in the mountains that day and when I came back, a bunch of over-zealous clergymen were burning the only home I ever knew down. The entire order was wiped out except for one woman, the one they called 'En Sabah Nur' [Ancient Egyptian: The First One], the leader. I managed to save her. She was a lovely woman and before she died, she gave me two things."

"What were they?"

"A kiss, passing on her powers as a Master Necromancer to me."

"And the other one was?"

"Her real name, the name she hid from everyone, even the other women of the order." Kana closed his eyes and opened his coat pocket, revealing a white rosebud in his hand. "White roses decorated her kimono when I burned her funeral pyre, as well as the others. They're the only reminders I have of the order."

"Is that why you hate humanity so much?"

"No, I hated humanity long before that." Kana answered. "That incident just confirmed my hatred for all religions. There is no such thing as a real faith, a real religion or a one true god. Anyone believing in such doctrines is a fool."

"Are you saying there's no God, Heaven, Hell or The Devil?"

"Good and evil exist, mark my words." Kana answered, finally relaxing and letting his sword to the ground. By now, after almost a week with no rest, even he needed to sleep. "I just don't like representing them as God and The Devil. There is no Heaven, there is no Hell. Both of them are this world. It is just a matter of different points of view. Hell and Heaven are what we make the world, nothing more. Now, you sleep."

"Alright, I'll sleep but only if you sleep too, Kana. That's an order."

As Shinobu finally rested her body completely on Kana, he leaned his back to the wall and wrapped his arms around her protectively while readying his sword. He stroked her blue hair softly, gently closing his arms in around her. She was very beautiful and part of him saw hope for humanity in her eyes. However, he was too stern with himself to show weakness now. He closed one eye and kept one looking about wearily.

"Sleep now, viator lucis. [Latin: Messenger of Light or Lightbringer] Your guardian will not fail you." He knew that he was starting like her almost in a romantic sense but he could not afford that now. "My sword is yours, my life is yours and I will protect you until I die."

Then, as he was finally asleep, Shinobu leaned upwards and looked at his sleeping, quiet expression. He was asleep and did not feel it. She had no idea why she did that, a move made purely out of impulse. However, she slowly realized that anyone who would fall for him must be willing to lose him quickly.

"Good night, Kana-san." Shinobu whispered. "Maybe someday, you'll let me know more about you…"

***~''~***

__

"Kana Himekazi: The Necromancer, consort of Shinobu then Kanako, who, according to the history books, played only a small role in the Era of Goddesses…" Arney stopped talking, and looked up at Talon.

"But…?" Talon prompted.

"There's more to it. There _has_ to be." Arney pressed. Talon smiled, and shook his head.

"All in good time, Arney… All in good time…"

"Still, may I ask one question?"

"Shoot."

"… You, Professor, stand for truth, light, and hope. You have preached the ultimate redemption of humanity, you have kept the faith of Christianity alive… You're basically, well, an angel."

"I don't think I've felt this embarrassed since Queen Mutsumi dropped her towel after taking a shower," Talon noted with a small smirk. Arney blushed, then took a deep breath.

"And… Well… Kana… He, he just… _wasn't._ From what _I've_ read, he was a psychopath, a brutal, heartless monster who was tortured into a life of violence and darkness thanks to a sadistic and evil organization. So… How could you _possibly_ be friends with such a.. A _demon_? How could you _possibly_ praise him in your books?" Talon took a very deep breath, and looked out the window again.

"Probably because… I knew he was lying."

"… Huh?"

"Kana claimed to have no emotions, but that's simply not true," Talon mused, seemingly half to himself and half to his audience. "No matter how much training, how much indoctrination, no matter _how much pain_, we humans still have emotions. They can't be killed without killing the individual. I know this for a fact… Because of what I saw in his eyes, heard in his voice, when he talked about Shinobu." Talon smiled wryly.

"He _loved _her. Her gentle spirit, her kindness… Other women would have rejected him, resisted him, or simply ignored him, but she didn't. She actually reached out to him, and in her, he found a kind of peace. That is, I think, the whole reason for his apparent arrogance - Not heartless devotion to destiny, but love. He _feared_ his emotions, and so tried to redirect them. If it had not been for Shinobu, I doubt he would have fallen in love with Kanako. Doubtless, he would have found a connection in her, but without anything beyond simple killing and hatred, love cannot exist. Though they'll deny this to Judgment Day." Talon sighed deeply.

"I never condoned his brutal actions, and I never will… But ultimately, because he gave his life to save the ones he loved, because he _loved_, I am still proud to have called him my friend. He had pride, and complete faith in what he was doing, which is something that few men can attest to. If it were not for this, I probably would have slain him… Or at least, died trying." Talon smirked.

"The great irony is, even if he didn't _believe_ in God, he was doing His work."

"Oh? How so?"

"Simple: He knew what he had to do and he did it. He didn't know who gave him this directive-Not really as none of us can be _truly _sure - but he did it without question, with complete faith. And I have a firm belief he's up in Heaven right now… Probably still as stubborn as ever." Arney laughed softly at this, high-pitched but not unpleasant. Then, pausing, the girl gave Talon a look.

"Well… After that little detour… Can we get back on track to the Light of Evil?"

"All right, all right… Where was I? Oh yes. Kebinu and I had just left the airbase, and Lucia and Argus were left there, and while they were there, they had a discussion…"

***~''~***

__

Andrew's Air Force Base

"Listen, um… You're NOT considering making planes that think for themselves… Are you?"

Lucia Tanaka, greatest technological genius in the Otohime Union, and head of Tanaka Corporations, stared at Captain Argus with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I wouldn't mind if they could do a _few_ things by themselves, but no, not really. Why?" Argus sighed with relief, and smiled at the demigoddess.

"_Terminator_ was on in the mess hall the other night. Someone managed to salvage a DVD projector and we just watched it. So, was just, you know… With Skynet and all…" Argus looked up at the aircraft that was the source of her concern. Sitting in the large hanger they were currently talking in (with a number of similar aircraft nearby), was a wide, light gray, flying wing.

It was an Otohime Air Force B-3 Aerowing, the standard heavy attack bomber in Mutsumi's arsenal. Only, instead of a cockpit in the center of the wing (like it's predecessor the B-2 or it's fellow bombers), there instead was little more than a gray bulge, as though the bomber had had it's view ports removed.

"Relax, Captain," Lucia soothed, "At best, this baby's as intelligent as a beetle, if that. It only does what it's told to do, and can only make some basic decisions regarding it's mission." Lucia smiled proudly up at her handiwork. She'd built this UAV bomber out of a chassis of an Aerowing under construction-More on a testing basis, than anything else. 

After all, even with her new technological innovations for g-relief in the still-in-production F/A-22 (not to mention other aircraft), the main factor limiting the performance of supersonic aircraft was still a human one.

"I mean, we've been using the Global Strike Aircraft for a few years now, and it's completely unmanned. We can send them anywhere in the world in a matter of hours at hypersonic speeds, and let loose enough cruise missiles to total a small city, and yet, you weren't concerned about _them _turning on us?" Argus blushed, embarrassed.

"Sorry, Lady Tanaka…"

"Not at all, Captain. I mean, I've had some concerns about that myself," Lucia confessed, smiling warmly. "But trust me, they can't do anything against us, because they just don't have the _ability_ to think about it, much less actually _do_ it."

"Still, I've been a bit worried, Lady Tanaka," Argus spoke. She turned from the bomber, and walked out of the hanger, towards the air field. Lucia followed, raising a silver eyebrow.

"Oh? About what?" Argus had stopped in front of a line of F/A-22s, parked on the thoroughfare. They were undergoing maintenance, the crews busily prying open panels and adjusting wires, frames, and various equipment that made up the aircraft.

"About… Well… Our technology, you see. We're not the most advanced nation on Earth, though we're close…"

"Of course… I mean, it's hard to beat a _goddess_, after all," Lucia smirked. Argus nodded back at her.

"But, we're overall a superpower. But… Maybe General Talon's paranoia is rubbing off on me… But I'm worried. If we get into a war with the NE, you see…"

"You're afraid that, even with our strengths, we'll be no match for them?" Argus nodded. Lucia smiled, shaking her head. She looked down at her feet for a moment, before looking back up.

"Argus… Janet… I'm not good at getting close to people."

"I noticed," Argus said with a small smile. A short glare appeared on Lucia's face, but it soon vanished, and was replaced with an almost shy smile.

"And… Well, it's kind of hard, to… talk about this, to someone I don't know… Very well… But I'm scared too. I really am." Argus blinked incredulously.

"_You?_ Scared? You can't be serious…"

"Oh c'mon, I am serious."

"With your powers and intellect? I doubt I'd be scared by much, if anything," Argus huffed, crossing her arms. Lucia smirked sagely.

"Oh? What about, being scared that your inventions and weapons fail on the battlefield? What about being scared at the prospect of hundreds, thousands, maybe even _millions_ of people dying because of something you overlooked?" Lucia looked out over the runway, her eyes hooded.

"Someone… I care about… Dying because of my mistake…" Argus smiled shyly.

"You like him, don't you?" Lucia blinked awkwardly at Argus.

"What? Who?" Argus winked at her.

"Who else?" Argus then walked a bit away, and began a silly song and dance.

"_Tanaka and Talon, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"_

"Oh, you're going to _pay_ for that!" Lucia growled, blushing furiously, as she ran after the cackling captain. The maintenance workers looked up and smiled at the (not uncommon) spectacle, before resuming their work.

***~''~***

__

Seventy thousand feet above Oklahoma City

The Global Hawk had been the first unmanned reconnaissance jet aircraft to ever have been successfully used in actual combat in 2002. The smooth, white, albatross-like UAV relayed communications from command to frontline troops and back again, observed enemy units, and mapped out different routes for ground forces to follow.

Such an aircraft, the Tanaka Corporation Global Hawk-II (only slightly bigger than it's ancestor), was cruising high above the American west, doing precisely that. The UAV had been monitoring troop movements of the NE Imperial Army for the last two weeks, loitering and conserving fuel. She could continue her mission for another two weeks if needed, the Otohime Command having made an excellent rotation schedule for the aircraft.

At this moment, the UAV had been surveying the terrain of southern Oklahoma, taking digital images that analysts back home would study, to see the status of the area's irrigation, farming, industry, and population, when something to the south caught the UAV's electronic eyes.

OU Global Hawks had two independently moving cameras turrets, and one had noticed a strange EM spike from northern Texas. The vehicle reported this new development, and per it's programming, asked if it would be prudent to change course and investigate.

The controllers back home received the message in a matter of seconds after it had been relayed through a high-flying communications balloon (the OU didn't have any access to satellites, so retrofitted weather balloons made up for this technological gap). The first looked at the data carefully, and her gaze then shifted to the window on the screen:

__

Alter course; Investigate new finding?

Y/N

The controller typed 'Y', and another few seconds later, the Global Hawk had shifted course, lowering it's altitude to sixty-thousand feet for a closer look.

The Global Hawk's passive radar systems soon detected another aircraft approximately thirty miles away. It hadn't been able to "see" it due to the aircraft's small size, but soon after contact, it was able to pick out it's exact profile.

__

Classification: Mecha Tama, Mk. VII-J2, Tracked Tama #1882

Type: Long-Range Reconnaissance Drone

Affiliation: SASA (Shinobu and Suu Alliance)

Course: 045

Bearing: 353

Distance: 46.5 km

Altitude: 94,400 km

Threat Status: None

The Global Hawk sent the Mecha Tama a standard greeting, that all OU and SASA aircraft exchanged when they caught sight of each other, just to clear up any misconceptions. The turtle-like drone returned the favor, and inquired about the Global Hawk's mission. The Global Hawk's controller received another message:

__

Report mission parameters to track Tama 1882?

Y/N

The OU controller hit 'Y' again, and the Tama drone soon reported it's same intentions: To investigate the EM spike in Texas. The Global Hawk and Mecha Tama thus began exchanging their data and reporting their findings as they closed to a better viewing location of the strange energy signature.

Both drones finally made visual contact with whatever-it-was that had excited the interest. Close-up digital images taken by the Global Hawk had discovered that the source of the energy was an abandoned penal facility in Houston. The images zoomed in, highlighting the strange effect of bizarre, ghostly white energy radiating out from within the structure. The Mecha Tama also saw the same thing, and correlated their findings. The operators on both ends of the data links were puzzled, so, through their UAVs, decided to close in much further.

The two aircraft soon descended into the stratosphere, reaching 30,000 ft. They flew almost parallel to each other, keeping a tight-beam, high speed data transfer between them at all times. The aircraft were able to detect radiological emissions from the old prison-X-Rays and even a few gamma rays. They could pick out various people congregating outside the facility, arrayed strangely. The Mecha Tama's cameras seemed to show the people chanting, in robes, and waving banners.

They closed beneath the clouds, both aircraft moving at about Mach 1. They spent twenty minutes approaching the strange pinpoint of energy, closer and closer and closer…

Abruptly, the Global Hawk adjusted it's cameras to focus upon the roof of the bizarre building. They could pick out a human figure, and (after filtering out the excess radiation it was receiving), zoomed in. It could distinguish facial features from only a few miles away.

The face was young, his eyes narrowed, his mouth opening and closing with the camera's snapshots. For a few digital frames, the young man seemed confused, his gaze shifting up. And, a frame later, he stared directly into the cameras of the two UAVs_._

Zzzzzzzzzzz!

The SASA Tama pilot in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, and the OU Global Hawk controller in Nashville, Tennessee, stared at their static-filled screens in confusion. From their readings, it seemed that the two reconnaissance drones had simply gone dead at the same time…

***~''~***

__

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs, Colorado

"Sorry sir… It just went dead. Complete systems failure," said the confused Tama operator. Over his shoulder, in the central command center of what was once NORAD, Tuxedo Jack shook his head in his own confusion.

"Tracking?"

"Sir?"

"What's the status of Drone 1882?" The radar operator (one of several in the cavernous room), typed up some commands at his station and blinked at the results.

"It's going down, sir. That OU drone that was with it is going down too," he reported, running a few more diagnostics on the systems at his command. Jack rubbed his chin, his brown eyes narrowed.

"We have all the recorded data?"

"Yes sir, we do," the operator replied, looking a bit shaken. He'd only started a few days ago, and now he'd lost his first recon drone. Jack noticed the young pilot's anxiety, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, private. It's not your fault, you couldn't have known what would happen. Now, just start going over the data, send it up to the science department, intel-Standard procedure, okay? Recon ops?" A thirty-something woman looked up from her computer display board, upon which were the current assignments and courses of the Mecha Tama recon fleet.

"Sir?"

"Re-deploy any available Tamas to sweep that area," Jack said, pointing at the glowing point on the main screen ahead. "And get in touch with the OU Air Command. Let's try pooling our resources to figure this out." With a nod from the officer, Jack sighed, rubbing his eyes. Things generally weren't this exciting around here. Sure, they'd had a few skirmishes with raiders they'd seen coming a hundred miles away, and the odd EN Imperial patrol getting too close… But this was _whacked._

"Jack?" Jack turned, and was met with the lovely, concerned face of Lady Shinobu, the Goddess of Light. Jack bowed before her.

"Milady." Shinobu nodded, and when Jack's eyes met her own again, she pointed to the screen.

"I heard about the drone. What do we know about that… that building…" Shinobu trailed off, her eyes lowering to the floor, as though she were looking for something. Jack's brow raised.

"My lady? … Lady Shinobu?" The blunette blinked, and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Jack… I felt… Strange, for a moment…" A midnight-black katana emerged between the two, and Jack followed the deadly blade up to the one wielding it. His eyes hardened.

"Kana." The Necromancer looked over at Tuxedo Jack, his cold, dead black eyes boring into him. Unbidden, a sudden hatred seized Jack's heart, a rage at this walking nightmare.

"The Goddess must retire. Now. It is too dangerous," he said in his cold, flat voice. Jack glared back at him.

"That's for _her_ to decide, not _you."_ Kana continued staring at him.

"I serve fate. It is fate's wish that the Lightbringer not come to harm." Shinobu sighed deeply, setting her mind for patience.

"Kana, _please._ I can take care of myself, you know." Shinobu raised an eyebrow at her "protector".

"Or, is my fate to be locked up in a cage and placed in a high tower for my safety forever?" Kana glowered, before sheathing his blade.

"No. It is not." Shinobu nodded appreciatively, and took Jack's arm.

"Kana, please oversee command here… Jack and I are going to take a walk." Jack was confused, but successfully hid the expression, as Kana wordlessly nodded, and walked over to the relative center of the control room. Shinobu and Jack walked away, into one of the numerous hallways on the base.

"… You don't like him," Shinobu said bluntly. Jack took a deep breath.

"No. I don't. He doesn't obey my orders, has taken you and Suu away when we fall under attack for _years,_ has _killed_ too many good people under his command because they didn't get the job done _fast enough…_"

"I know, I know… He is difficult to work with, Jack, I _know."_ Shinobu turned to Jack, earnestness written in her very stance.

"But, I trust him. He is a good person, I know he is, and he has saved my life on many, _many _occasions. And, we'll all need to trust each other, if whatever is happening in Texas is… Well, the start of something large." Jack sucked in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He refocused his ki energy, closing his eyes as he did so, and finally opened his eyes again, mirrored in the Goddess's twin cornflower pools.

"I'll try… I promise." Shinobu nodded thankfully, giving him a gorgeous smile, before releasing her second-in-command and walking steadily down the hall, leaving Jack to ponder what in hell was going on…

***~''~***

****

And the saga, yes, rolls on…

I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Like I said, Tuxy is taking a while…

Angry Mob: GET 'IM!

Talon: WAAAAHHHH!!! (runs away)

NEXT CHAPTER: _Whatever_ Tuxy has finished, goes up! NO, NO! NOT IN THE FACE!


	19. Riam's Interlude: Ever Black Ops

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The Bonds of Time

Chapter 19

Andrew Joshua Talon, with many thanks to Kanako Urashima

DISCLAIMER: Love Hina is not mine. I'm not making any profit off this fanwork, and the authors used own themselves. "The Love Hina Fan Boy War!" is the property of Kanako Himekazi-Urashima, which she gave me permission a while ago back to write a prequel to.

Therefore...

''

****

This is indeed, more filler, written by the esteemed DigitalAvatar! Enjoy!

''

Shinobu And Suu Alliance (SASA) Headquarters, South America

Riam Kaikiaichi was roused slowly from the depths of peaceful slumber by a low and steady vibration. The distant humming of powerful electricity generators filled the small room in which he was resting, indicating that his patron Goddess was once again hard at work developing the advanced technology for which SASA was known.

The massive generators were located in underground chambers kilometres below his quarters, but the sheer amount of power they were able to provide created vibrations that could be felt from anywhere in the Headquarters Command Complex.

Opening his eyes, Riam leisurely glanced around the compact room, light strips in the ceiling illuminating the area with a dim red glow. Furnishings were sparse, the only items of note being the bed, a small bedside table, and one wall taken up entirely by two wardrobes and a dresser.

Only one of the wardrobes contained clothing, the other was stocked with equipment and weapons he preferred to keep close at hand.

Not one to laze around in bed all day, Riam swiftly swung himself to his feet. Reaching over to a light control mounted on the wall, he adjusted the dim red illumination to a bright white.

The Australian took a few moments to go through some basic stretching exercises, before he opened one of two doors leading out of the cabin and proceeded through it.

The door lead into a small bathroom area, and several minutes later the ex-vigilante emerged freshly shaved and showered. He pulled on his usual outfit of matched black combat pants, boots, and a sleeveless shirt, followed by a jacket. The jacket was that of a SASA officer, and although he wore it only on rare occasions he felt greatly privileged to be able to do so. The rank insignia on the jacket indicated that the wearer was a General, and the division markings were that of Special Operations.

Exiting the sleeping chamber through the other doorway took him into his small home office area. A computer sat on his desk, with optical data discs piled high next to the monitor panel reminding him of the immense amount of administration work he had to complete by the end of the week. He sighed, briefly wondering how so much work had been entrusted to him.

He picked up his laptop carry-case, slid several of the optical discs into it, and then headed out of his living quarters.

__

Exterior of SASA Command & Control Mountain Complex, five minutes later

Emerging into daylight several minutes later, Riam was struck by the bright early-morning sun shining down upon him. Turning, he glanced up at the towering mountain behind him. Created by Suu to resemble their original base in Colorado Springs, the mountain complex served as command and control headquarters for the Alliance's defence and security forces. Several exterior buildings were situated around the mountain, housing the other administrative and staff facilities. The largest of these was the Alliance Command Administration building, an impressive pyramid-shaped structure. The Australian entered the building through the large main doors, nodding to the security guards as he passed. Proceeding through a long hallway to one of the central elevator shafts, he pressed the control to take him to the top of the pyramid and the location of the Alliance leaders' office suites. Shinobu and Suu both had offices here, as did the Australian himself, but none of the three tended to use them very often.

Arriving at the requested floor Riam made his way to his destination, the Alliance Leader's briefing room, to deliver the week's situation report.

Entering the room, he saw the expansive briefing table directly in front of him, upon which his eyes spotted a selection of breakfast foods. Large plates in the centre of the table were piled with early-morning cuisine from both Japanese and Western cultures.

Riam's eyes gazed upon the banquet in amazement; even after all his years of service Shinobu's cooking continued to impress him. She insisted on cooking her own meals, and those for her friends much of the time, despite the highly qualified Alliance Headquarters chefs being on-call at any time

Shinobu was present at the table as usual, although Kaolla was nowhere in sight. The Australian thought it odd that Kaolla wasn't in her ordinary position, but he expected that she was still at work deep in the mountain. He was soon proven wrong however, when he was struck by a sudden flying kick slamming into the right side of his head. His laptop case dropped to the ground as his body impacted the wall with a painful thud. With his head still spinning from the blow, Riam pushed himself to his feet, turning to see a green-eyed, tan-skinned Kaolla Suu grinning back at him.

"Good morning!" she greeted him energetically. Some things, it seemed, would never change.

"Good morning, my lady," the SASA officer bowed his head slightly, "I trust you are well?"

"Yup!" she acknowledged, "Just wait 'till ya see the new invention I'm working on!"

"That's great!" Riam smiled, "Although I do hope it isn't another Mecha-Xenomorph… That thing scared the heck out of me."

A handful of other officers filtered into the room, the Goddesses' few closest and most trusted SASA officers and advisers. Tuxedo Jack was among them, a fellow Champion of the Alliance. Riam nodded a greeting to Jack, before being addressed by the gentle Goddess of Light.

"Good morning, Riam," Shinobu smiled, greeting him politely as always.

Riam bowed low, "Good morning, lady Shinobu."

The briefing table was shaped approximately like an elongated triangle, with the two Goddesses seated at the base end of the table and their officers on either side. The Australian officer took his accustomed seat at table, immediately at Suu's right hand, while Jack seated himself similarly close to Shinobu.

As was usual procedure for the morning briefing, everybody took advantage of Shinobu's endless generosity and amazing talents in the kitchen.

One egg, three sausages, six pancakes, several slices of bacon, two glasses of juice and a mug of coffee later, Riam sat back contentedly in his chair

Opening his laptop, he logged into the Alliance Command wireless network and browsed news and reports of events that had taken place since he had prepared his presentation the previous night. His own staff members had marked several items for attention, and he quickly reviewed the material.

His primary responsibility for the Alliance as the Commander-In-Chief of Intelligence and Special Operations (ISO), as well as having been roped into several positions in an advisory capacity.

Of the various flagged bulletins he was skimming through, one in particular caught his eye; an intelligence report from the Alliance/Union borderlands. His eyes opened wide as he examined a reconnaissance photograph, "It can't be…" he muttered to himself. The Australian was quickly summoned back to reality as he heard his name called by the SASA Chief of Staff.

The Chief of Staff was responsible for coordinating, organising, and running events such as the morning briefing.

"You may begin your report on current intelligence and Alliance security operations, General Kaikiaichi," the aging Staff Chief prompted.

Riam stood up from his chair and approached the front of the room. The title of General was not one the Australian tended to use himself, and in fact he also discouraged most of his acquaintances from using the term to address him. Standing next to a large briefing display set into the wall, Riam used a handheld PDA to call up graphical data to assist his presentation.

"Good morning everyone. My report for today, the results of the recently ordered status check of our defence forces has been concluded. I've compared the results to our intelligence data of the other worldwide military powers."

Pressing a control on the PDA, the ISO commander called up military statistics graphs to be rendered on the screen.

"Compared to an average of other armies, our defence forces are relatively small. To offset that, our soldiers are all trained to an _extremely_ high degree, and are equipped with technology more advanced than most possible opponents. Our ground forces are our strong point, with our general and specialist infantry units outmatched by none. Our Mecha-Tama Tanks are more than capable of holding their own against other armoured units, and our various other ground divisions round out our forces nicely."

Riam clicked over to a new graph, this one showing air superiority comparisons.

"Our airforce is adequate for complimenting our ground units, but would be unlikely to be capable of holding their own against the more advanced airforces fielded by some of the other powers. Our standard Mecha-Tama Multi-Role Fighters are extremely versatile at many aerial operations, but excel in few. They're equally capable of air combat, reconnaissance, and ground assault missions, but not to a high degree of performance standards. Specialised air-superiority fighters such as those operated by the Otohime Union would hardly find them a challenge. Our newer specialised aircraft provide some extra air combat capability, but I must say that our best asset in the event of air warfare are our ground-based anti-aircraft units. Our aerospace intelligence gathering is also of high level, thanks mostly to the success of our UAV Mecha-Tama Scout. More importantly, our satellites in orbit far surpass the surveillance and communication capabilities of any other empire, giving us an added tactical advantage in that area."

"How about our Naval Forces," inquired a middle-aged adviser with dark curly hair, "how do they stack up against the other powers?"

Once again, Riam called up a new statistics graph. "Reasonably good," he began, "once again we have our Lady Suu to thank for providing our forces with MT5-X class multi-configuration individual assault units. Those units compose the main body of our ocean-based military. Our carrier ships and submarines, which act as mobile bases for the assault units, are more conventionally designed. Our navy would be best suited to a purely defensive role in protecting our territory. If the situation were to require it, however, we could quite effectively provide specialist assault support to the naval forces of an allied power."

"We don't want to be attacking anyone, Riam," Shinobu spoke up quietly, "we're a peaceful nation."

"I don't wish to see war any more than you do, my lady," the ISO director replied, "but we must remain prepared as a necessity. Tensions between some of the powers are extremely strained right now. Our intelligence indicates it could take only a relatively little incident to trigger open conflict."

The gentle Goddess smiled somewhat sadly, "we have appointed you to advise us and take charge in these matters Riam, and we trust you to do what is best for the Alliance."

The Australian knelt and bowed his head reverently before the Goddess, "of course, my lady Shinobu. My life belongs to my Goddesses and the Alliance."

Standing once again, Riam cleared the briefing screen of the statistics graph. "That ends my presentation for the morning, ladies and gentlemen. Next week I hope to have an in-depth report of the exact tensions between powers, as well as the most likely flashpoints we'll need to keep an eye on."

Riam nodded to the others attending the meeting, and returned to his seat to make way for the next adviser's briefing.

He half-paid attention through the rest of the meeting, occupied by the recon images still displayed on his laptop's monitor. It depicted a camp in the borderlands between SASA and the Naru Empire. The camp was set up in a mostly intact large town, and populated by a group of anarchistic renegades suspected of possessing at least one nuclear weapon. It was a standard procedure for ISO to remove all weapons of mass destruction from the hands of groups likely to use them in terrorist attacks. But more interesting than that fact was a photograph of a person handcuffed and being escorted to a secure building by several guards. It was a young blonde woman Riam knew very well indeed…

__

Peak of SASA Command & Control Mountain Complex, 19:00 that evening

Riam gazed out over a forested expanse from his position high atop the mountain peak. Light was fading gradually from the scene below him as the sun settled slowly behind the horizon. Still maintaining his youthful appearance even after all the years that had passed, he appeared deep in thought as he sat with his back leaning against a solid tree. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, before a sound from above him caused him to open them again.

Kaolla Suu swung down from a branch, facing her devoted champion upside-down.

"Watcha doin'?" she asked inquisitively, busily peeling a banana in her hands.

"Good evening, my lady," Riam greeted his Goddess, "I'll be leading an ISO tactical squad tonight, on a mission to remove some nuclear weapons from dangerous hands. Our intelligence tells us that there is a prisoner being held at the location we're striking, and I believe it's a person I knew a long time ago."

Kaolla consumed her banana in a single gulp, and promptly began peeling a second. "So are ya happy 'bout that?" she inquired with a smile.

Riam sighed slightly, "she and I parted on, ah, uncertain terms… I guess I'm a little uncomfortable at the prospect of meeting again."

The Australian's conflicting emotions were much more uncertain than he let on. He had long since fallen for the dark-skinned energetic Goddess in front of him, almost for the same length of time had been her Champion and Consort. And if the person shown in the recon photograph was the girl he thought it was, then he might have a difficult decision to face.

"Ah, it'll work out fine." Suu assured, "got a surprise for ya anyway."

"A surprise?" the ISO commander inquired somewhat cautiously.

Kaolla flipped herself up with to stand on the branch she was hanging from, using a graceful acrobatic manoeuvre that seemed to defy the laws of physics. "Behold, my latest Mecha-Tama!" she proclaimed proudly.

With those words, one of the numerous launch tunnels in the mountain slid open to reveal Suu's newest invention. It appeared to be a large sleekly designed turtle-shaped craft, midnight black in colour.

"It's my new _Super-Special Secret Assault And Action Team Transport Tama_!" the tanned girl informed her champion happily.

"Quite a long winded name, my Goddess, but it certainly looks impressive," Riam told her, genuinely awed by the vehicle's appearance. "May my team and I use this on our operation tonight?" he requested.

"Of course, silly!" Suu laughed, "it's ready to go right now."

"Then with your leave, Lady Suu, I'd like to gather my squad and prepare to depart," the Australian requested.

"Sure thing! See you when you get back!" with a giggle, the energetic genius jumped up higher into the trees and disappeared amongst the foliage above.

Riam wasted little time, leaping into the air and flying away from the mountainside. He used the pull of gravity to accelerate his downwards momentum, descending many times faster than he was able to run or fly under his own power.

His powers of flight, while very useful, also came with some strict limitations. Primarily, the benefits of his enhanced strength and stamina were almost completely nullified during active flight.

In under a minute, the ISO commander reached the ground outside the main entrance to the Alliance mountain complex. Stepping inside, he swiftly made his way to the ISO Operations Centre where his handpicked team for tonight's mission were awaiting their commander's arrival and final pre-mission briefing.

__

SASA Intelligence and Special Operations (ISO) Mission Ops Briefing Room, several minutes later

"Okay," Riam addressed the ISO Commando Elite (ICE) team assembled before him, "you've already checked over the mission outline plan for tonight, and we should be sticking to that for the most part. We've had the scheduled Intel update from the field recon team currently stationed in that location, so I'll bring you up to date with a slightly revised plan."

The ISO chief tapped a few buttons on the briefing console at the front of the room to show a computer-generated map of the target complex based on the recon data.

"This is obviously a stealth mission, not an all-out assault," he emphasised, "which means we go in silently, and exit quietly without stirring up the nest. The primary objective is closely guarded, so we will need a tactical action to secure it. That phase will be executed surgically, cold and precise. Overall we want a minimum of casualties, but the primary objective must be completed whatever the cost. We've confirmed that the hostiles are in possession of three nuclear warheads, and intelligence indicates a high probability they may be used in an attempt to gain control over one of the borderland cities. Worst case scenario, a nuclear detonation from parties inside SASA territories might inflame already tight political tensions amongst the empires. In any event, you all know of our standard practice of removing Weapons of Mass Destruction from irresponsible hands." Riam took a breath before returning to the mission plan, "we'll enter the complex via a side gate instead of going through the fence as the original plan dictated. We've determined that this side gate is loosely guarded, and the sentries posted there are lax in their duties. This gate is also located conveniently close to this large building," the Australian indicated one of the buildings on the map, "our records show it was a museum before the Cataclysm hit. We'll move in to that building and secure the structure. Four squad members, designated Bravo team, will remain posted there while the rest of us move on to the building we believe will gain us access to the underground bunker where the primary objective is located. Bravo team will cover the main group as we make our way to the bunker entry point. Once we've proceeded inside, Bravo team will keep the entrance covered and if necessary will clear the area of hostiles as we make our exit. After our exit from the bunker, we regroup with Bravo team at their location in the museum, then head out the way we came in. With luck, we should be able to slip out and board our extraction craft, which will be stationed nearby, before they bad guys realise they've lost their bombs. Questions?"

First to speak up was Sergeant Hanks, a tough veteran who had been with the ISO Commando Corps for over twenty years. "Bravo team will include snipers, Sir?" he inquired.

"Affirmative," came the reply, "Bravo team will be two snipers, one recon specialist, and a combat commando to watch their backs. I'll hand out team assignments while we're en route. "

The Sergeant nodded, and then the next commando took her turn. "Sir, do we have any intelligence on the layout of the bunker interior?" the relatively young Private Reed asked.

"Unfortunately not," the General frowned, "the recon team had to stick with passive observations this time. We strongly suspect that the hostiles operate monitoring equipment able to detect any of the active scans we might use to get an image of the underground location. We'll have to wing it once we're inside. We do know that the bunker contains at least four levels, probably five. We also expect that the weaponry we're after will be located on the lowest floor. Hopefully we can get to the objective and get back out without needing to secure the entire complex. We'll need to move fast."

As the answer was finished, another young private posed a final question. "Do we have any tactical data on enemy numbers and equipment, Commander?"

"Yes," the team leader affirmed, "we do have some Intel in that area. Primary soldier contingent in the complex numbers around a few hundred. They use a variety of small arms; most soldiers possess assault rifles of various types. All pre-cataclysm designed weapons, but they're in mint condition. There's a good chance the bad guys have a cache of weaponry stocked in an armoury in that bunker. If we stumble across that while were in there, we'll blow that up for good measure. About half of the soldiers are equipped with bulletproof gear. We anticipate most of the night shift should be without the armour. The recon team currently in the field will hook up with us at the insertion point to let us know the current situation, then they'll remain on board our transport until we're extracted. Any further questions?"

The assembled soldiers remained silent, determined faces focused on the mission ahead.

"Okay, let's gear up and head out. We depart from launch bay six in fifteen minutes, so let's move!" Riam tapped the control to deactivate the briefing console and headed directly to the armoury to load up his weapons and equipment.

__

On board Special Ops Transport Mecha-Tama, several hours later (02:00). Approaching Mission Insertion Zone, ETA six minutes

The interior of the Mecha-Tama echoed the design of the sleek black exterior. Riam and his ICE team were seated inside the 'shell' area, on surprisingly comfortable benches that ran around the front and rear bulkheads of the elongated-circular chamber. The walls on either side were actually gullwing doors which would swing upwards to allow the team's exit from the craft. In the centre of the room was a circular depression in the floor, which was a platform that could be used to pick up cargo or as an alternate egress point. The area was lit by a dim red glow, which would help the squad's eyes adjust to the nighttime darkness when they exited the vehicle.

At the front of the craft, the 'head' contained a cockpit staffed by a pilot and a copilot, and further back on either side of the 'neck' were two consoles for coordinating ground team movements and communications/recon data.

From their position in the deployment chamber, the ISO Commandos heard a click as the pilot activated the intercom system.

"Estimated time to designated insertion point is six minutes," stated the male voice, "switching engines to silent running."

The already subdued humming of the transports full-powered flight engines quietened to a barely audible level, ensuring their approach wouldn't be heard by any of the opposing forces. The velocity output of the vehicle would also drop significantly on the lower power mode, but the forward momentum already provided by the engines running at full capacity would allow them to coast to the landing area with plenty of extra speed to spare.

This model of Mecha-Tama had been specifically designed for Special Ops missions, and possessed full stealth technology. The craft was absolutely invisible to radar, maintained almost zero heat signature, and was constructed to present a minimal visible profile to any aggressors.

Flying at low level, they passed like a shadow above the treetops, barely disturbing the animals below.

A few minutes later, a clearing opened up at the base of a mountain in front of them. Applying reverse thrust to abruptly slow the craft, the pilot expertly set down in the middle of the open space. The gullwing hatches on both sides smoothly opened upwards, and in practiced order each of the commandos sprang from their seats and jumped through the openings.

Riam was the first out of the transport, crouching slightly to absorb the shock of the short descent. Bringing his weapon, a modified P90 SMG firearm, to the ready position he quickly moved forwards to make way for the rest of the group to follow. Moonlight from a full moon filled the clearing, which wasn't an ideal condition for performing a stealth operation. The moonlight also had the effect of making visible the black ISO light tactical ops uniform worn by all members of the strike team, as well as showing a Chinese jian-style sword strapped onto the beck of the ISO General. The squad commander swiftly made his way to crouch under the nose of the Mecha-Tama, eyes scanning the forest ahead of him. A crackle sounded through his communications earpiece as the copilot opened a channel.

"Sensors indicate six stationary heat signatures six-hundred meters up the mountainside in front of us, consistent with the recon team" the copilot informed the ISO chief,

The Australian acknowledged the report, then immediately transmitted on a pre-arranged secure frequency. "This is ICE Alpha, recognition code Zulu-Romeo-Six-Two-Seven-Tango, requesting passcode response."

A short moment later came a reply; "This is ISO Field Recon Four, passcode Echo-Tango-Seven-Zero-Nine-Foxtrot. Good to see you Alpha, we're on our way."

A few minutes later, the three men and three women of the recon team joined the ICE Squad in the clearing to deliver their final Intel report.

"The enemy encampment is directly on the other side of the mountain," the field team leader, a woman with an Arabic appearance, informed the team gathered around the front of the transport. "They unexpectedly staffed a guard station on the mountain peak earlier this evening, in a watch facility that had been unmanned since our arrival. We're not sure of the reason for that, but we're certain they have no knowledge of tonight's raid. The guards on watch at the peak are monitoring their airspace intrusion detection equipment, but my team and I naturally tinkered with their surveillance devices, ensuring they won't even blip at anything short of a Devastator-class Tama Bomber landing on top of them."

The surveillance leader took a sip of water from her canteen before continuing, "the gate we've marked for entering the compound is easily approachable through a nearby patch of dense forest that provides good concealment and cover. The gate is currently manned by two sentries stationed in a guard shack just inside the gate, although on a warm night like tonight they won't be inside the hut. Expect them to be standing nearby, possibly even just outside the gate. There's also another sentry who'll be standing right next to an alarm trigger on the building wall about twenty-five metres inside the gate. Just above the third guard is a security camera, closely monitored from the central security station which we assume is inside the bunker."

"And," inquired Riam, "You're sure it's not intentionally left loosely guarded as some kind of trap?"

"Positive," the recon officer assured the ISO commander, "we're assuming it's only lightly protected because the museum building, and the smaller unoccupied structures around it, stand away from the rest of the complex. There's a large patch of open ground, watched by sentry towers, which you'll need to cross to reach your objective. The gate itself is also too small to allow any type of large assault force through quickly."

"Okay, we're go for this mission," the Australian confirmed. "Recon team, board the Spec Ops Tama and monitor our narrow-band encrypted telemetry. Also track us via the surveillance satellite currently overhead, keeping us up to speed on any enemy positions you spot."

The reconnaissance team acknowledged the command and moved inside the sleek black vehicle.

Gathering his ICE squad, Riam lead them into the forested area and moved up the mountain that concealed the enemy camp on the opposite side.

__

Northern Revolutionary Army (NRA) main base encampment, 02:45

Within the fenced and guarded compound, all was relatively quiet. The only sign of any unusual activity was a group of uniformed soldiers performing late-night parade drills in a large floodlit area at the compound's centre.

There were other sentries and guard patrols throughout the area going about their duties, but were doing so quietly with no sign they were on alert.

Lurking in the shadowy forest just outside a small side gate, the black-clad figures of the ICE force observed the three-man detail of soldiers guarding the entrance. As the Recon Leader had described, two of the guards were standing just outside the gate, both smoking, while the third was near an alarm button well pas the gate. After a moment of whispered discussion, the ISO Commando Elite squad decided their plan of attack.

Riam personally took charge of performing the first step, quickly and quietly ascending one of the tall trees nearby. From the top of the tree, he launched himself forwards and up into the air, using his flight ability to arc high over the heads of the guards and land crouched on the roof of the museum building behind them.

The rearmost NRA guard, who had been leaning against the building wall, turned around and glanced upwards. Riam was already prone and well out of sight, so the sentry turned back to observing the forest outside the gate. The rest of Riam's ICE team were still concealed amongst the trees, watching closely but also out of the enemy's sight.

Moving quietly, the black-clad Australian stealthily moved to the edge of the roof and peered down. Directly below him was a security camera focused on the gate, with the sentry standing immediately below that. The camera was relatively far down the wall, and out of arms reach, causing Riam to pause and consider the situation for a moment. He quietly stood upright, perched on the very edge of the roof, spread his arms to the sides, and leaned forwards. Using some creative acrobatics, his toes hooked on to the edge of the roof and swung the rest of his body down to leave him suspended vertically upside down right above the camera. Easily locating the black cord sending the images from the security device back to the monitoring room, the Australian swiftly clipped a small back device onto the wire.

The clever little contraption tapped into the line, intercepting signals from every security camera on the loop, but passing the streams straight through to the enemy security centre without interruption for now. Meanwhile, it was also transmitting the signals back to the team stationed in the transport Tama via a virtually undetectable encrypted signal. The Tama-based team recorded a few minutes of video footage from the cameras, and swiftly edited them to virtually faultless infinite looping sequences. Once that was done, they cut the live feed from the cameras and transmitted their own stream along the line to the security monitoring station within the opposition's base. Now that the enemy security centre was blind to the real activities at the gate and in the complex, the ICE team could act.

Still vertically suspended, Riam unhooked his toes and flipped down besides the sentry below him and struck out with his fist. The NRA soldier was rendered unconscious before the man knew what had hit him. At the same instant, two tranquilliser darts shot from the dark forest, each striking one of the other two guards in their necks. The incredibly fast-acting neurolytic tranquilliser contained in the darts dropped both targets to the ground instantly.

The ISO chief unhooked a keyring from one of the guards' belts, strode over to the gate and unlocked it to let the rest of the ICE team inside the compound.

Moving as a unit, they quickly proceeded around the corner to the front of the museum building. They ascended an impressive stairway to the main entrance, where an infiltration specialist got to work on the lock and alarm system.

'Sir," the female specialist addressed Riam with a whisper, "the alarm system of the building is already offline, looks like it was short-circuited at the main security control box inside. Shouldn't give us any problems with moving straight in."

"Okay," the team leader responded, "we'll head inside and bear left, moving directly up the staircase to the to the top floor."

As he finished speaking, the entry door swung open and the group passed through.

A minute later, everyone was gathered near a window on the top floor. The view from the window allowed them to look out over most of the compound, including the floodlit parade ground and the bunker entrance building.

"Okay, Bravo team," Riam addressed the group, "you'll be stationed here. Snipers watch our backs, Recon spot the targets and keep everyone up-to-date, and the assault commando will keep watch on the museum interior. Everyone else, we'll head back to the ground floor and exit via a side door. We'll then proceed towards the parade ground using the nearby building as cover." Glancing around at the serious faces of the squad, the Aussie ISO boss continued, "we'll have to snipe all of the sentries in the guard towers at the ground's perimeter before heading straight across the area to the bunker entry point."

After receiving a chorus of agreement from the troops, the order was given to proceed with the plan.

Several minutes later, Riam and his team moved rapidly through an area filled with unlit buildings. The deep shadows cast by the structures provided perfect cover to the group as they silently proceeded through the darkness towards the centre of the compound.

Riam had assigned one of the ICE recon scouts, Private Lloyd, to take point position for the squad. Lloyd, while young, was already one of the most capable soldiers in his field and his senses were finely tuned to detect even the slightest hint of any nearby opposition. It wasn't long before the Private proved this fact, raising his hand urgently to gesture the team into concealment just before an NRA patrol marched into view fifty hundred metres ahead.

The ICE operatives instantly dropped to a prone position and rolled to the right, pressing against a building wall to minimise their visibility.

One of the technological wonders SASA possessed was a "Chameleon Suit", that made the wearer practically invisible to the naked eye. It wasn't perfect of course; infra-red imaging would instantly nullify any benefits. But the real drawback to the Stealth Suits was the fact that virtually no external equipment could be carried while in use. This limited the deployment of the Suits to qualified recon specialists in very specific situations.

As the ICE team were loaded up with plenty of equipment, they were restricted to the more traditional methods of avoiding detection.

The enemy patrol glanced down the alleyway towards where the SASA forces lay cloaked in the shadows, eyes searching for anything unusual. The concealment methods used by the commandos were adequate enough however, and it wasn't long before the patrol moved onwards past the narrow street.

Immediately after the opposition soldiers were out of sight, the ISO covert ops team were back on their feet and moving forwards. They were close to the floodlit area now, a huge, brightly illuminated section of ground that they would need to cross.

Luckily, the soldiers who had been performing parade drills earlier had vacated the area. It seemed they had quit for the night.

Nine sentry towers were situated with views over the brightly-lit area, each tower placed about equal distances from one another. They were of crude design, merely platforms with waist-height walls on three sides, a thin roof, and a wooden ladder providing access to the unwalled side. Four of the structures were garrisoned by two soldiers each; the other five were staffed by only one sentry in each.

Riam's chosen ICE team contained four qualified snipers, each of them an expert sharpshooter with 98% accuracy on marksmanship tests. The General himself was significantly less competent with a sniper rifle, only averaging 65% on tests.

The ICE sharpshooters were equipped with long-range magnetically accelerated sniper rifles, silenced SASA special-issue. They were highly accurate and extremely lethal weapons. Unfortunately SASA forces had no reliable way of rendering enemies immediately unconscious from such a range, and an instant takedown was essential in most ICE operations.

The snipers would work in pairs to silently eliminate the NRA sentries, each pair targeting separate towers. As soon as the guards in each structure were confirmed down, the next in sequence would swiftly be targeted and dealt with. That was the plan.

Taking up position, the marksmen began their mission, aiming at the closest targets first. The first sniper pair aimed to the left, a tower stationed by two men. Each of the sharpshooters took careful aim at separate sentries and pulled their triggers in unison. The guards crumpled instantly, falling hidden behind the tower walls. The second pair of marksmen aimed to the right, with only one sentry standing duty inside the structure. One of the ICE snipers took the primary shot, his partner targeting the same NRA soldier and prepared to fire a backup shot if the primary missed. The precautionary measure was not needed however, the first shot dropping the mark before the poor man knew what had hit him.

With expert precision, both sharpshooter teams quickly proceeded to their next targets. The following four towers were nullified without a hitch until only three were left, all containing one NRA soldier each.

Team one took aim at their fourth tower, the primary shooter lining up the guard in his sights. He squeezed the trigger home, and as before the projectile sped from the muzzle of the weapon – But this time the shot missed. The guard was struck in the shoulder, and had time to emit a short cry of pain before the backup's shot struck on target, silencing the man.

The brief shout had been enough to alert the sentry stationed in the next tower along, who spun towards the noise. The first primary had already bracketed the soldier, and fired another shot. This one was bang on target and dropped the guard before an alert could be sounded.

Meanwhile, team two was aiming at the final tower. The primary marksman fired his shot, which struck the guard precisely on target and killed him instantly. The dead man began to crumple, but instead of heading straight to the floor he fell backwards towards the fourth side of the platform, the side with no wall. The body plummeted from the tower, landing with a thud at the base of the ladder.

"Kuso…" Riam swore under his breath. If that body was discovered before their objective was complete, the alarm might be raised prematurely and make the mission much more difficult.

At that instant, a door near the fallen body on the opposite side of the compound opened, and yet another NRA soldier stepped out. The man turned to close the door behind himself, then turned again and started to walk forwards. The corpse was right in front of him, but it took a second to register in the soldier's mind. When the guard realised what he was seeing, he opened his mouth to shout an alarm, but didn't get the chance. A sniper from Bravo team fired a long-range shot from the museum, perfectly aimed, to promptly drop the man where he stood. Now there were two bodies in plain sight, and those would have to be dealt with.

Sergeant Hanks was crouching next to his General, and whispered some advice to him. "Sir, those dead soldiers aren't awfully far away from the bunker entrance. Once we're there, we should be able to carry them into the bunker and out of sight."

"Thanks Sergeant," the ISO commander replied quickly, "we'll do that." He then addressed the whole squad, "okay everyone, get ready. Prepare to sprint across the field to the bunker entrance as soon as I give the word."

The team readied themselves, and as they did so Riam clicked on his communications headset.

"ICE Alpha to Field Recon Four," he began, "check satellite infra-red imaging for guard patrols. Are we clear for a dash over to the bunker entrance?"

The reply came in a second later, "Message received ICE Alpha, stand by." There was a short pause as the recon operatives back on the Mecha-Tama checked their data. "Alpha," the recon team finally continued, "you're clear to go."

Riam gave the command, and the entire ICE group sprang to their feet. The commandos sprinted across the dangerous open ground, not slowing until they were right at the bunker entry point's door.

The door was solid steel, set into a hardened cement structure. The door would slide open to the side, but only when the correct access code was entered into an electronic keypad located on the wall beside it.

The ICE team also included Private Reed though, the Infiltration Specialist who had gained them entry into the museum. She was an expert at bypassing electronic security, and very few systems could withstand her abilities. The relatively mediocre keypad stood no chance, and Reed's skills had the door opened in under a minute.

Reed stood aside as the door slid open, leaving the way open for Corporal Collins, who was one of the highest rated assault operatives available to ISO. Collins stepped up to the door and rapidly fired off two short bursts from his silenced MP5 SMG. After firing, the Commando walked straight inside, gesturing over his shoulder for the rest of the team to follow.

Riam was the fifth to enter the small cement building, noting two deceased guards had been moved to one side and propped against the wall.

In close-quarters combat, non-lethal takedowns were also usually impractical. It was vital that the opposition had no chance to trigger alarms, and tried-and-true firearms were still the best tools for the job.

Inside the cement building a heavy blast door was set angled into the ground. The solid steel slab was sealed securely, with an advanced electronic locking mechanism. It would take Private Reed several minutes to bypass this one.

While the Private started her work, Kaikiaichi had Hanks and Collins follow him back outside the bunker. The group of three sprinted over to the base of the closest sentry tower, near which lay the bodies of two NRA guards.

The General and the Sergeant each picked up one of the fallen men, hoisting the corpses over their shoulders to carry them back into the bunker entrance. The Corporal watched their backs, carefully surveying the area around them.

Riam was halfway to his destination when his sensitive hearing picked up the almost inaudible sound of Collins' silenced weapon firing a short burst. Turning, the Australian was just in time to see another NRA soldier falling to the ground. Wasting no time, Collins dashed over and picked up the body, then followed his superiors in the direction of the bunker.

A short moment later, the trio had all arrived safely back inside the bunker entrance structure.

They arrived inside just in time to hear a hiss as the blast door unseal, followed by a rumble as it slid aside and revealed a flight of stairs leading downwards.

"Private Reed," Riam addressed the talented Infiltration Specialist, "before we go into the bunker, seal off outside access to this entrance building. Make it look like a simple equipment failure, and ensure we can easily open it from inside on our way back out."

"Yes Sir," she nodded, "give me a few seconds."

True to her word, Reed was able to completely disable the exterior access keypad in three seconds flat.

Then it was time for the ICE team to head down into the bunker.

Once they'd reached to bottom of the stairway, with Corporal Collins taking point, the ISO operatives found themselves looking into a circular chamber with three passages leading off from it.

They were about to proceed inside the room, but were stopped by a sudden communication from the team back on the Mecha-Tama.

"ICE Alpha," the transmission began, "hold your position. The bunker's internal security cameras are on a separate loop than the exterior. We can't access or spoof them, so you'll have to try and stay out of their field of view."

Kaikiaichi frowned, then activated his own transmitter. "Roger that, Recon Four. Thanks for the heads up."

Sergeant Hanks, who was standing just to the left of Riam, nudged his Commanding Officer. "General, look there," he said, gesturing upwards, "it's a camera."

The Australian glanced up, and saw that there was indeed a camera just above them. Luckily though, it was pointed into the junction chamber and couldn't see the stairwell passage in which the ICE team was standing. If the Recon operatives hadn't alerted the Commandos to the danger, it was likely that the team would have already had the entire bunker facility knowing of their presence.

Private Lloyd, the ICE Alpha Recon Specialist, stepped forward to make a suggestion. "Sir, if we rotate the camera just a little to the left, I don't think the guards at the security station would notice such a tiny change in the view. That would create a narrow blind spot, so if we all hug the wall we should just be able to slip into the right-hand corridor without being seen."

"Looks like our best option," Riam nodded to Lloyd, "let's do it."

Corporal Collins had to hoist the Private onto his shoulders, so that the expert scout could reach the camera. Lloyd gently grasped the surveillance device, and with the greatest of care nudged it to the left. The modified viewing angle of the camera should, with a little luck, let the ICE team slip into the right-hand passage by a narrow margin. Collins lowered his teammate back to the ground, and Lloyd took point.

Lead by the Recon Specialist, the members of the ICE team pressed their backs up against the wall and inched their way along sideways.

A short time later they'd all successfully passed out of the danger zone, and were gathered halfway down the corridor. The passage was mostly featureless, just dull grey paint and some exposed pipes overhead, and luckily there were no cameras in sight.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen," Riam turned to address the troops, "our first priority is to locate their security control centre, get in there without being detected on the way, and neutralise the site without the alarm being sounded." The ISO chief looked around at the faces of his team listening attentively, "now the first step is finding the damn thing. I think the best way to accomplish that is to get access to a networked computer terminal, which we can hopefully use to bring up a floor plan of this place. Once we get that, we'll have some idea of the best way to complete the next step. Questions?"

The ICE team had no queries, and the group moved onward down the corridor, keeping a close watch for more cameras.

At the end of the passage was a T-junction with similar-looking passages leading in both directions, and Riam peeked around the corner to take a look. The corridor on the team's left-hand side was almost triple the length of its twenty metre opposite to the team's right. The longer tunnel also featured a camera peering straight down the entire aisle towards them. The ISO commander quickly ducked his head back and described the situation to the ICE group.

Once again, Lloyd came up with a cunning plan. "General, unless that camera is specially focused, and I doubt it is, then we should be able to keep out of sight by going along the ceiling."

Kaikiaichi glanced upwards at the pipes above them. They looked to be quite stable enough to support the weight of a few commandos clinging to them.

"That's a brilliant idea Private, but I'm afraid the piping only extends three quarters of the way down the corridor, not far enough to reach the end" Riam told him.

"Actually Sir," Lloyd smiled, "I was thinking more of heading to the right." The sharp young recon officer gestured to a sign on the wall, "It looks like there's a maintenance access station there, which may give us access to some service ducts if we're lucky."

The sign Lloyd had pointed out was indeed marked "Maintenance", with an arrow pointing to the right.

"Great thinking, soldier!" Riam grinned, "remind me to give you an official commendation when we get back."

"Yes Sir," the Private smiled.

After securing their primary weapons on their backs, both Lloyd and Kaikiaichi jumped upwards, grabbed onto the pipes and singing their legs up to lock around the conduits. Hanging parallel to the floor like this should allow them to move to the maintenance area unseen

"We'll scout ahead," the Australian told the rest of the ICE team below him, "keep this corridor secure."

As the commandos acknowledged the order, Riam began pulling himself hand-over-hand, sliding along a dull red pipe of intermediate size. Rounding the corner, he spotted the maintenance door set into one side of the passageway. Still pulling himself along the pipe, the ISO General swiftly approached the entrance with Private Lloyd following right behind him.

Once Riam had drawn level with the door he unhooked his legs from the pipe, switched his grip to another conduit, and used his levitation abilities to rotate himself on the horizontal plane. This left him facing downwards, hovering parallel to the floor. His hands now closed around a smaller pipe in the centre of the corridor ceiling with his body directly in line with the doorway.

The ISO commander took a moment to ready himself, then abruptly ceased using his levitation to support his himself. Gravity took over, forcing his body downwards, but by maintaining his grip on the conduit he used the momentum to swing himself feet-first towards the door. His feet smashed through the door, the impact tearing the door from its hinges.

Riam immediately released his grip from the pipe and sailed straight through the new opening. Tucking himself up as he landed, he used the remainder of the kinetic energy to commando-roll into a kneeling position with his sidearm pistol held at the ready.

The room was clear of hostiles though, and the ICE team leader signalled to Lloyd that it was safe to enter. The Recon Specialist swung himself inside, the dangerous gaze of the camera catching only a millisecond of a blurred shape before the Private was safely inside.

Both ICE team members now had a chance to examine their surroundings. The maintenance room contained various metallic equipment and machinery, including an air circulation apparatus with a promising-looking access panel set into the side.

Managing to pry open the panel and slide it aside, they were able to peer into the guts of the machine. There was indeed a shaft leading downwards, but it was quite narrow. In addition to that, a heavy-looking air processing unit was perched over the duct, blocking any access.

"I think," Riam said thoughtfully, "that I could just about make it down there if I dropped all of my equipment."

Both Kaikiaichi and Lloyd had slim builds, but the Australian was the slimmer of the two by a narrow margin.

"Right Sir, but that machinery on top of the vent looks pretty securely placed," the Private blinked, "and I didn't bring any tools to have a go at the bolts."

"Well luckily," Riam smiled, "we're in a maintenance area. Try checking in that cupboard over there." The General pointed out a red cabinet mounted on the wall.

"Yes Sir!" the young specialist made his way over to the cabinet. It was locked, but the door buckled easily after a quick strike from the butt of Lloyd's SMG. Inside the cabinet was, most fortunately, all of the tools they would need to safely deactivate and remove the ventilation equipment.

Several minutes later, the duo had managed to dismount the obstruction from above the vent, and manhandled it onto the floor nearby.

"Okay," the General addressed Lloyd, "I'll scout out the situation down there to determine our best mode of attack, and to try and get the rest of the team down there without being detected. I'm afraid I'll have to leave you up here. It's safer if you don't rejoin the rest of the group, as the camera might easily spot you try to get back up onto the pipes."

As the Private nodded his acknowledgment, Riam removed his tactical vest and tool-belt, then placed his P90 and sword down besides them. He kept his pistol with him, for protection, attaching a silencer onto the weapon to maintain the stealth approach. He also kept his communications headset in place.

Thus prepared, the ICE commander lowered himself feet-first into the uncomfortably narrow ventilation shaft.

Descending at a moderate velocity, it took Riam a few minutes to hit the bottom of the vertical shaft. The shaft linked into a tubular duct running horizontally below it, and with a little contortion the ISO General managed to slide himself down into it.

Looking along the pipe ahead of him, the infiltrator noted light shining through small rectangular grilles spaced out evenly along the sides; those would be the vents that allowed the air out into the bunker complex.

The nearest ventilation opening was approximately five metres ahead of the ICE operative, and he wasted no more time in crawling towards it. Once he'd drawn level with the outlet he was able to peer out and examine the surrounding area. He found himself looking into a corridor running parallel to the air circulation conduit. Directly across from his position was a doorway in the opposite wall. The door was open, allowing him to see straight into the room beyond. Inside the room, Riam spotted two NRA soldiers conversing with each other. He could also hear another participant taking part, although the owner of the voice was out of sight. The discussion itself was quite uninteresting, seeming to be a debate over the superiority of different sporting teams, but the fact that they were talking about something so trivial was a good indication that the alarm had yet to be raised.

Moving on, the black-clad agent passed several more duct outlets uneventfully, until he came across a short passage branching off to the left. Poking his head into the offshoot revealed a grille set into the floor, large enough to serve as an exit point.

Deciding it was time to leave the air circulation system, Riam was able to locate the screws securing the hatch in place, and with few a quick twists the grille hinged open. The slim infiltrator slid himself through the opening, emerging in a headfirst dive straight towards the floor. As he fell, he extended his arms ahead of him to both absorb the impact of the landing, and then to handspring back to his feet.

The small alcove he was now standing in provided access to several maintenance facilities. An electrical switchboard was set into the wall in front of him, to his left were some pipe and conduit junctions, and to his right was a door leading into a small utility office.

The Australian quietly opened the door to the cramped maintenance office, which was conveniently unlocked, and slipped inside, closing the door behind him. Several sets of tools and janitorial supplies were stored against the walls on either side of him, and a metal desk was located against the far wall.

On top of the desk, a glowing blue screen signified that he'd found what was looking for – A terminal connected to the bunker's maintenance network. With a little luck, he should be able to call up floor plans and blueprints of the complex.

Stepping up to the terminal, Riam brought up the login screen and smiled. The Operating System on the bunker's network dated from before the Cataclysm, and it was one with which the ISO Commander was very familiar. He had been an Information Systems student before the Cataclysm, working towards his Bachelor's Degree, and had already earned a Diploma in Systems Administration. This experience was about to pay off, as he rebooted the terminal into a command prompt access. Quickly and expertly, he circumvented the security lockouts, and in a few minutes had created himself an account with Administrator access to the system.

He logged himself in with his new account and began calling up the maintenance diagrams, searching for a way to get the rest of the ICE Team down to the objective area without being detected.

Viewing the plans, he confirmed that the three nuclear weapons were all stored in a lab on the fifth floor of the bunker.

Locating the security setup information, Riam determined that his team would need to take out the Central Security Command Centre on Level Three as soon as possible to avoid detection as they descended to the Primary Objective area.

The security systems themselves were located on their own closed network, accessible only from the Command Centre. With his current equipment, it would be virtually impossible for the ICE commander to tap into the security data loop.

All of the elevator cars in the complex were monitored by cameras, as were the stairwells. There were also emergency exit ladders that traversed all floors of the bunker; these had no cameras but were wired with multiple alarms.

From the terminal Riam was currently working on he couldn't access the security systems, but had virtually unrestricted access to all of the maintenance systems in the bunker. Among other things, he had control over the elevator systems and lighting. An idea began to form in his head.

Activating his headset, he contacted his team. "Kaikiaichi to ICE Alpha," he began, "I think I have a way to get everyone down here. Lloyd, are you receiving?"

The Recon Specialist, still in the maintenance room with the air processing facilities, responded immediately. "Yes Sir, Lloyd receiving."

"Okay Private," the General addressed the Specialist, "on the south wall of the maintenance room you're in, you should see a long rectangular panel running just above the floor."

Lloyd took a second to confirm he'd located the correct panel before replying, "Affirmative Sir, I see it."

"Okay," Riam continued, "you can open that panel by undoing the butterfly screws in each corner. Inside the panel you'll find three red-coloured cubes, with wires connecting them to the rear of the chamber. Those are backup batteries for the emergency lighting."

It took several seconds for the Private to remove the panel and look into the compartment. "Got it Sir, I see the batteries," he transmitted.

"Great. Cut all of the wires connecting to the batteries, that will disable the backups for the emergency lighting. The primary power for the emergency lighting is a dedicated loop connecting to auxiliary generators in the bunker's central power facility and on each floor of the bunker. Running along the rear of the battery compartment you'll see a thick cable. That's the emergency lighting power conduit.

"I see it Sir," Lloyd affirmed, "and I've cut the battery power already."

"Good, now you'll need to bypass that auxiliary power line." The General glanced at the schematics on the monitor in front of him, and read out instructions for the Private to safely bypass the power.

Lloyd was done in a couple of minutes, and the Australian informed the other ICE Team members of the next step in his plan.

"Okay guys, I can cut the main lighting from here," Riam explained, "and with the emergency lights down the corridor will be pitch black. Their cameras will have low-light capability, but won't be able to pierce complete darkness. Team, prepare to go to night vision and activate your infra-red illuminators. Once the lights go out, head straight down the corridor. At the end of the passage is a set of elevator doors. I'll open them as soon as the lights go out. I can control the doors and the position of the elevator car itself, but there's a camera inside the car and the elevator's emergency lighting is self-contained, so you'll have to go down on the roof. It's a cargo elevator, so the roof is relatively spacious anyway. I'll then move the elevator down to Level Three, where the security centre is. Further instructions when you arrive there."

"Roger that General, standing by to proceed at your signal," Sergeant Hanks acknowledged for the rest of the ICE Team.

"Oh, and Lloyd," Riam added, "grab my gear I left up there and bring it down with you."

With a few more mouse clicks Riam summoned the control interfaces he'd need to carry out his plan. Before cutting the power, Kaikiaichi accessed the internal communications settings and redirected the Central Maintenance Facility hotline number to the telephone extension on the desk beside him. Security would no doubt contact maintenance as soon as the lights went down, and the ISO Director wanted to be ready.

Once that was taken care of, the ex-vigilante took a deep breath and deactivated the lighting in the cargo elevator access corridor.

__

Security Control Centre, NRA Command Bunker Level Three

The Security Control Centre was a well-lit rectangular room, with monitor stations running the entire length of both sides. There was also a long double-sided console in the centre of the room, containing more security-related computer equipment.

The usual compliment of staff for the early-AM shift were on duty; eight Security Officers, two Technicians, a Sergeant, and a Lieutenant to oversee them. There was also an additional group of four other Security Officers present. The extra Officers were actually rostered on as part of the roving patrol detail, but had stopped over in the Control Centre to enjoy coffee and a game of cards with their buddies. The Lieutenant on watch was engrossed in a pre-Cataclysm fictional novel.

Officer Simmons, a rookie on the team, was assigned to watch the monitor bank covering the Entry Section up on Level One. The young Officer had just taken the first sip of his fresh mug of coffee when he noticed the image on one of the monitors flicker into blackness. Simmons blinked and placed the steaming mug of hot coffee on the desk, then reached forward and tapped the dark screen a few times.

"Uh, Sergeant?" Simmons called over his shoulder, "I just lost Camera Three in Level One Entry. Image died on me."

The duty Sergeant was at the rookie's side in a second, looking over the Officer's shoulder. The Lieutenant looked up from the novel he was reading, and shot an irritated look towards the disturbance.

The Sergeant called over towards one of the Technicians, "Run a remote diagnostic on that camera, tell me what went wrong."

The tech expertly initiated the diagnostic sequence, receiving the result back in just a few seconds. "Camera looks fine Sergeant," he reported, "All diagnostics check out in the green."

The Sergeant turned back to the rookie Officer. "Okay Simmons, rewind the recording on the camera, let's take a closer look."

Simmons manipulated the controls in front of him, spinning back to moments before the image cut out. Then he began playback in slow motion.

On the screen in front of them, the Sergeant and the Officer watched closely, both clearly seeing the lights in the corridor flicker before they went out.

The Sergeant walked over to where the night watch commander was sitting and addressed the man, "Lieutenant, looks like the lighting went down in that corridor, and the emergencies failed. Should I dispatch a team to investigate?"

The Lieutenant glanced towards the Sergeant, "If the lights went out then it's not our problem," he said, "call maintenance."

The Sergeant nodded and reached for a telephone handset.

__

Utility Office #14, NRA Command Bunker Level Two

Riam had just received a communication from Sergeant Hanks informing him that the ICE Team had all made it safely onto the elevator, when the telephone beside him rang.

The Australian picked up the handset, and doing his best to imitate an American accent, spoke into it. "Maintenance Centre," he answered, "you frag it, we fix it!"

"Very funny," the Security Sergeant replied, "now get serious. The lights just went out on Level One, and Emergency Backups didn't kick in either. Fix it."  
"Don't worry," Riam assured, "we're on it. Lights will be back up right about…" The General clicked a control on the terminal in front of him before finishing the sentence, "… Now."

True to his word, the lights in the Cargo Elevator hallway immediately flickered back to life. Before hanging up the handset, the crafty infiltrator said a few more words to the Security Sergeant. "We'll be fiddling with some of the primary circuit breakers in a moment to try and isolate what went wrong in the first place. If you see any lights flickering on and off rapidly, that's just us messing around."

"Okay," the Sergeant acknowledged, "make sure it doesn't happen again."

The Security Sergeant hung op the phone, closing the connection.

Riam smiled, then called up his ICE Team on the radio. While conversing with the Security Sergeant, he'd already moved the cargo elevator car down with the roof level to the third floor exit doors.

"Kaikiaichi to team," he addressed them over the radio, "I'll open the elevator doors momentarily. They're out of sight of the camera above them, so you'll have time to check out the area in front of you." Riam took another look at the building plans displayed on the terminal monitor before continuing. "You'll be looking out into a large corridor which stretches about two hundred meters along to your left, and three hundred metres to your right. Directly ahead of you will be a door, but don't go through it. It leads right into a security checkpoint. Approximately fifteen meters to the right of the checkpoint door is another door. This one leads into an office supply room, and shouldn't be locked."

The ICE Team leader activated one of the options on the terminal display to open the cargo elevator doors on the third floor.

Down below, the ICE squad peered out from the elevator shaft to examine the corridor, easily avoiding the view of a security camera above the doors. The camera was, however, covering the rest of the hall and prevented the team from leaving the shaft.

"What I'm going to do," Riam continued explaining his plan, "is strobe the lights in the hallway on and off. I've timed the strobing sequence precisely so that the camera will white out trying to switch back and forth between normal and low light modes. Wait for a couple of seconds after you see the strobing begin, then double-time to the storage room, get inside, and shut the door behind you. As soon as it's closed, report in via radio. If I keep it strobing too long, Security might start getting edgy."

"Roger and affirmative, General," replied Hanks, "standing by."

Kaikiaichi manipulated the terminal controls, and waited as the strobing sequence began.

__

Cargo Elevator Area, NRA Command Bunker Level Three

Sergeant Hanks and Corporal Collins stood side by side, preparing themselves for a fifteen-meter sprint towards the grey metal of the supply room door.

They didn't need to wait long for the corridor lights to start strobing, and after pausing for two seconds as ordered, began their dash.

In a flash, both men were at the door with the other members of the ICE Team following close behind them.

Hanks reached for the handle on the door, grasped it, and attempted to turn it. It was locked.

Collins and Hanks glanced at each other, each thinking the same thought. When finesse failed, brute force would work.

Hanks took a step backwards, then launched a kick at the door. The Sergeant's powerful frame smashed the door open violently, denting and warping the metal.

Collins stepped up to the newly opened portal, sweeping the room with his eyes and taking a second to check that the area was secure. Once he was satisfied the supply room was clear, the Corporal ran inside, followed immediately by Hanks and then the remaining ICE Alpha members.

Once everyone was inside, Collins moved to shut the door. The Sergeant's aggressive method of opening the door had buckled the frame though, and the door refused to swing completely closed. Using the same theory of force over finesse, the Corporal applied his own boot to the door. A single swift kick was all it took to slam the door home. The repeated blows to the door had had a side-affect though, and the door was now securely jammed in the closed position.

"Hmm," remarked Collins as he looked at the now sealed portal, "I hope the CO wasn't planning on us returning that way."  
"Or more importantly," Hanks added, "I hope he wasn't planning on coming through there to rejoin us."

The Sergeant then activated his transmitter to report that the team was safely inside the supply room. "Hanks to Kaikiaichi, ICE Team Alpha have arrived at designated location and entry door is secured."

"Roger ICE Alpha," sounded Riam's return signal, "stand by at that location. I'll be in your vicinity in ten minutes."

__

Utility Office #14, NRA Command Bunker Level Two

Back at the terminal in the Utility Office, Riam had ceased the strobing of the corridor lights the instant Hanks had confirmed the supply room door closed. There were no further calls in from Security, so it seemed that the infiltration remained undetected so far.

After taking a short moment to quickly set the best time record on the system's _Minesweeper_ game, the pre-Cataclysm qualified System Administrator logged off the terminal and cautiously exited the room.

Riam was now clad in an orange jumpsuit, standard issue for NRE maintenance personnel, that he had been pleasantly surprised to find hanging in the Utility Office.

He was sure that the people watching the cameras at Central Security would expect to see maintenance technicians wandering around the facility. Security Checkpoints and patrolling guards were another matter though.

To minimise the chance of unwanted encounters, the ICE agent had used the floor plans accessed on the maintenance terminal to plot a route that avoided the main corridors. It was longer than the most direct route to his destination, but had the benefit of avoiding three Security Checkpoints and several probable patrol routes.

Riam had chosen a small out-of-the-way staircase to descend to Level Three, and was only halfway there when he encountered his first two NRA soldiers. They weren't assigned to security detail however, and didn't bother to challenge the man in the maintenance uniform.

The disguised SASA officer strode confidently past the pair of soldiers, acting like he had every right to be there. Once the two bad guys were out of sight however, Riam stopped for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief. Even before the Cataclysm he had had experience infiltrating live installations, being an active Urban Explorer, but knew that danger was ever present when bluffing his way past building staff. Although he was able to hide it perfectly, his mind still tensed up every time he was challenged, even after all the years that he had been doing it.

Breathing break over, he continued on his way towards his chosen stairs.

A few minutes later the ISO chief was standing at the door to the stairwell, about to enter and descend, when he heard a voice call from the passage to his right.

"Hey, you in the orange suit, hold it!" demanded the leader of a three-man security patrol.

"I'm kind of busy right now," Riam feigned annoyance, "make it quick."

The patrol leader chose to ignore the annoyed tone of the man in the maintenance uniform. "What's your business at this hour?"

"I was called out to work on the lighting systems, we've had reports of some problems tonight," responded the Australian, remembering to mask his accent. He'd learned that few of his countrymen had made the trek from their home continent, and the Australian inflection of voice was most often out of place.

"The problems have, I assume," inquired the NRA Officer, "been logged with the Security Centre?"

"As far as I know they have," was Riam's answer, "my boss would have done that. As I said, I was called out after the problem was reported."

"Okay," the patrol leader, "let me check." The man raised a handheld radio to his face and pressed the transmit button, "Delta-Echo Patrol to Security Control."

"Control receiving," sounded the reply, "go ahead Delta-Echo."

"Have you logged any maintenance call out reports tonight," asked the Security Officer, "specifically relating the lighting systems?"

"That's affirmative Delta-Echo," was the immediate response, "we reported that one ourselves."

"Roger Control," the patrol leader acknowledged, "I might have another information request, please stand by."

Lowering the radio, the NRA guard queried the supposed maintenance man again. "Where's your ID badge?"

Glancing down at the front of his orange suit, Riam noted there was no identification card attached. Of course, he already knew there wasn't, as he'd checked around for one before leaving the Utility Office.

"Oops," he smiled sheepishly, "Must have left it in my locker."

The patrol leader sighed. "Idiot. Okay, name and rank?"

Luckily the maintenance uniform was provided with a nametag and patches indicating the wearer's rank. The practiced infiltrator had made sure to memorise the information.

"Alan Jones," he replied without hesitation, "Technician First Class."

The security guard raised his radio again and relayed the information to the Control Centre for a security checkup.

The operator at the other end was quick to call up the personnel file and relay the information. "Identity verified, but Technician Jones is not rostered on for this shift."

"Right," demanded the patrol leader, "explain yourself."

"I was called up out of bed by my boss to deal with this," the disguised technician explained himself. He didn't say why he called me, and I didn't ask. My boss doesn't like explaining things to me, and he doesn't like it when I don't get my assignment done fast. He's going to chew me out if I don't go and get my section of the lighting system fixed up pronto."

The Security Officer nodded. "Okay," he said, "go and do your work. But consider yourself on report, and don't get caught without your ID again."

Riam acknowledged the directive, then entered the stairwell and proceeded down to Level Three.

The Security Complex, of which the Control Centre was a part, was located right in the middle of the rectangular Level Three. The Security Complex housed various facilities such as the Control Centre, briefing rooms, holding cells, armoury, and even barracks for rapid response guards. The majority of Level Three was, according to the information in the maintenance database, dedicated to offices and administrative tasks. Why a primarily military organisation like the NRA would need such extensive administrative facilities, Riam had no idea.

The exit of the stairwell from Level Two had deposited him on the north side of the floor. This was the opposite of where the rest of his ICE Team was, on the south side.

To rejoin the squad, he would avoid the corridors as much as possible, cutting through the open-plan offices instead. At this hour he would be surprised if any of the offices were in use. In fact, his plan for assaulting the Security Complex depended on an element of the ICE Team in full tactical gear moving through the offices. Internal security was thankfully light, with cameras being mainly focused on the hallways, elevators, and stairs. The electronic security on Level Three was especially lax, perhaps because of the Security Complex's presence, although guard patrols were more likely to be encountered. Security on Level Four and Level Five was especially tight, hance the need to eliminate the Security Control Centre before descending deeper into the bunker.

Quickly crossing the hallway he was standing in, Riam opened a door and stepped into a reception area for one of the offices. It wasn't a Security Checkpoint and was, quite naturally considering the time, unstaffed. There was a camera mounted on the wall, but two of the three doors in the room were outside it's field of view, including the one Kaikiaichi had entered through, He closed the door behind him, walked underneath the camera to avoid detection, and exited through the opposite door. He was now in a large office space, with tidy cubicles arranged in neat rows. As he had anticipated, he was the only occupant of the room. He was also pleased to note that the chamber was free of cameras, and there were no motion sensors that he could see.

Confident that the area was safe, Kaikiaichi walked rapidly past the workstations towards a door on the far side of the room. This was the first of three administration sections that he would pass through, each separated by a corridor that he would need to cross when moving between them. Beyond the third office area was a mess hall for the workers, followed by a kitchen, and finally a suite of executive offices. Then he would be at a secondary entrance into the supply room where the other members of ICE Alpha were awaiting his arrival.

Riam reached the exit door several seconds later, and opened it slowly. He peeked around both corners, checking for cameras and security guards, but the corridor was thankfully devoid of either. The stealthy infiltrator stepped across the passage and through a door on the opposite side.

The open plan office he now found himself in was identical to the one he had just left. He didn't hesitate to look around this time, striding rapidly to the opposite side. Once more, he was cautious in crossing the passageway, but made it across without incident.

A quick glance revealed to the SASA General that this office was slightly different to the two he had already passed. This room was somewhat wider than the previous ones, and additionally possessed short hallways between the entrance doors and the main area. The purpose of these was to provide space for four enclosed offices, one in each corner of the chamber.

Riam was three-quarters of the way across the room when he heard the sound of a door opening. An NRA worker emerged from one of the corner offices, stepping out into the short hall in front of the disguised ISO commander.

Looking up, the worker saw the orange-suited man and walked towards him.

"You shouldn't be in here without an escort," the worker challenged, "this is a level six classified area. Are you lost?"

Seeing that the NRA uniformed man was alone, the covert infiltrator decided it would be simpler to neutralise the inconvenience rather than bluff his way past. His martial arts skills served him in good stead, the worker crumpling to the ground with no more noise than a sharp gasp.

Riam's excellent hearing detected a second gasp from the short hallway, and the ICE operative looked up to see a second NRA worker dashing for an alarm button on the wall.

With lightning fast reflexes, the experienced ICE officer pulled his silenced pistol out of concealment within the maintenance suit and rapidly discharged two rounds aimed at the running figure.

Both rounds struck on target, thudding into the unfortunate worker's chest. While Riam's accuracy with a sniper rifle was a mere 65%, he was rated much higher when handling firearms in close-quarters battle.

Tucking the pistol back inside the orange uniform, the Australian stopped to pull the bodies into concealment inside one of the cubicles before continuing on his way.

He passed through both the empty mess hall and kitchen without incident, arriving at the executive office suites with no further enemy encounters.

The trip down from the Utility Office had taken eleven minutes to complete, one minute past the ISO commander's previous estimation of his arrival time. He activated his radio transmitter.

"Kaikiaichi to squad," the team leader hailed the ICE Team, "I'm right outside. I'll be entering through the north door, so hold fire."

The north door was on the opposite side from the damaged door that the rest of ICE Alpha had made their entry through.

Opening an unmarked wooden door gained Riam access to the supply closet, where the Commandos welcomed him.

Closing the door behind himself, the Australian took a few minutes to re-equip himself with his tactical ops gear, sword, and P90. He also took a few moments to reload his pistol and remove the silencer, so that the sound suppressor wouldn't slow the draw from the holster. He'd use the pistol only in an emergency, and in such a situation every millisecond might count.

Once he was satisfied with his equipment, the ISO Commander sat down on a stack of boxes containing office paper supplies and prepared to brief the team on the next stage of his plan.

Just as he was about to begin bringing the squad up to speed, his eye caught sight of the battered and warped door that the main group had entered through.

"Sergeant," Kaikiaichi turned towards Hanks, "what exactly happened to that door?"

"Sorry Sir," the Sergeant apologised, "we had little choice. The door was locked, and as our time was limited, I decided not to attempt to pick it."

"General," added Collins, "I'm afraid some of the damage was caused by me also. I had a bit of trouble getting the door to close after the Sarge got us in, and needed to apply a little pressure."

"I see," the commander nodded, "good work gentlemen."

His question answered, Riam got back to the briefing.

"Okay," he began, "we'll need to neutralise the Security Control Centre to successfully reach Level Five without detection. Security below this floor is extremely tight. The problem, of course, is that the staff manning the Control Centre will probably be able to scramble the every soldier in the base to maximum alert with the press of a button. We need to eliminate all personnel in the Security Centre before they know what's happening. We can't give them even a single chance to sound the alarm."

The Commandos nodded, understanding the importance of not allowing the alarm to be raised.

"The control room," the General continued, "has two entry points, one at either end of the room. We'll launch our assault from both points simultaneously. I'll be leading Gold Team through the western entrance, while Red Team will take the eastern side. Sergeant Hanks will naturally be in command of Red Team. Once the room has been breached, both teams will be facing each other, so we'll have to watch our line of fire. The NRA will all be wearing their tan-coloured uniforms, and of course we're in black, so there should be little difficulty in determining hostile targets. Eliminate all opposition."

"Sir," Lloyd spoke up, "Any info on the number of hostiles?"

"Yes indeed," Kaikiaichi affirmed, "I was able to access the duty roster information. There should be twelve men stationed there at this hour."

"Shouldn't be too hard to deal with," commented Collins.

"General," one of the demolitions specialists asked, "I assume we won't be using breaching charges for shock entry?"

"That's correct," responded the ISO chief, "they would jeopardise our covert approach. It's almost certain that the entire Security Complex would hear the detonation. In addition, the control centre has sliding doors instead of hinged, and they're constructed solidly enough to provide total soundproofing."

Riam paused a moment to allow for any further questions. When none were forthcoming, he continued.

"Now we've got the assault phase detailed," he said, "we'll have to sort out our plans to get ourselves into position for the strike. Once we leave this supply room, Red and Gold Teams will seperate immediately. Gold Team will make a direct beeline towards Security Control, with only one detour to bypass a security checkpoint. Red Team will be required to take a longer route, moving back through the way I came to get here."

"Excuse me General," one of the Gold Team soldiers interjected, "with the difference in transit times, will we be leaving this area after Red Team has departed, or will we be standing by in a location close to the assault zone?"

"Both teams will be departing simultaneously," Riam answered, "directly after this briefing. Gold Team will arrive well before Red Team are in position, and will conceal ourselves a short distance from the objective area. Travel time from the staging area to the assault point will be under thirty seconds. Once Red has signalled they are in position, we immediately move to our station. Once we acknowledge Red Team's signal, there will be no further radio communication unless Sergeant Hanks or myself consider an emergency abort necessary. Both teams will breach their entry points and execute assault operations exactly forty seconds after we confirm the receipt. Clear?"

The assembled Commandos all affirmed their understanding in a subdued chorus of lowered voices.

"Now," Kaikiaichi turned to Hanks and the Red Team soldiers seated near him, "I've sketched out a rough map of the locations along the route you'll be taking. Unfortunately the maintenance terminal that I accessed the schematics from was not equipped with a printer, so this is the best I could do."

Passing a roughly drawn diagram across to the Sergeant, the ISO General continued. "I've marked the optimal path for you to take, although you may make any detours as you see fit. In the event you deviate from my recommended route, be sure to avoid the corridors marked in red – they are monitored by security cameras. You should only have to cross one major passage along the way, but be cautious when you do; it's likely to be regularly patrolled."

"Yes Sir," Hanks nodded, "I assume you're not anticipating any of the areas along the route to be occupied?"

"That's correct," the ISO chief stated, "all should be clear. I did encounter two unexpected individuals on my way here, but both have been neutralised and are concealed in an office cubicle along the way."

An inquisitive Private posed a question to the General, "Deceased, Sir?"

"One deceased, one unconscious," was Kaikiaichi's prompt reply, "I was able to avoid terminating my first opponent. The second was not so lucky in avoiding harm. Now, if everyone's ready, let's move."

No objections were raised by the group, and after splitting into their separate teams they all headed out.

__

Male WC Facility, Security Section, NRA Command Bunker Level Three

"Feels kind of uncomfortable being here, Sir," commented Reed as she looked around the location, "seems weird to be in the men's bathroom."

"I'm afraid I had little choice of locations to choose from Private," the Australian smiled somewhat, "don't worry too much though. We'll be proceeding through the adjoining janitor's closet that connects from here to the women's side. Studying the gender difference ratio of NRA Security Officers, that section of the facility is statistically less likely to be used while we're waiting. We males will feel strange being there also."

"I'll bet," Reed spoke in a joking manner, "pervs."

Riam raised an eyebrow, a gesture he had worked hard to perfect. "Just lockpick the door if you could, Private," he said with the hint of a smile.

The Private grinned and moved up to the janitor's closet with lockpicking kit in hand. She had the simple lock defeated and open in only a few seconds. The infiltration specialist proceeded to step inside the darkened space and open the door on the opposite side.

Sweeping her hand with a flourish to indicate the room beyond the newly opened door, Reed spoke with a smile again. "Gentlemen, prepare to go boldly where no man has gone before."

"Funny Reed," Collins remarked with a sarcastic tone, "real funny."

Still, the rest of the ICE Team could tell that the Corporal was at least slightly amused by the quip.

Collins took point into the female section of the WC facility, and ensured that the room was indeed clear of hostiles.

The other members of Gold Team passed through the janitor's closet, sealing the door to the male section behind them as they left.

It was several minutes later that the signal from Red Team came through.

"Thank the Deities," muttered Collins, looking around the women's WC, "It's downright uncomfortable being in here."

All members of Gold Team were already standing, prepared to move for great justice.

The SASA General clicked on his transmitter and sent to Red Team, "Signal received and confirmed. T-Minus Forty Seconds, countdown begins… Now!"

Collins and Kaikiaichi in the lead, Gold Team burst out of their hideaway and moved rapidly but cautiously towards their destination.

Hurrying past a corridor on the right, a three-man patrol practically walked straight into the two lead ICE Gold Team members. Riam being within half a metre of two soldiers struck like lightning, driving his right elbow up into the jaw of the first and throwing a left-handed knockout punch at the second. At the same moment the Australian was rendering his opponents unconscious, Collins spat deadly fire from his MP5 and silenced the third NRA soldier.

Leaving the bodies where they fell, the team hurried to their assault position. The entire time it had taken them to reach their staging point was twenty-eight seconds.

The ISO commander focused on his watch as it finally counted down to the last few seconds. Three… Two… One… "GO!" Riam commanded his team as he slapped the control to open the sliding door in front of them.

On the opposite side of the Security Control Room, Hanks had given the exact same order, perfectly synchronised by their training and SASA-issued wrist chronometers.

The NRA Security Officers were taken completely by surprise, although the ICE Team had a surprise of their own. Instead of the expected twelve staff members, there were twenty NRA Officers in the room. It appeared two four-man security patrols were taking their rest break in the control room.

The new fact didn't break the professional stride of the ICE Team though, storming through the doors and sending hails of silenced gunfire into their chosen hostile targets.

Highly trained in proper techniques for such a situation, the ISO Commandos targeted the console-seated enemies first to prevent them setting off alarms in easy reach.

The NRA soldiers who weren't manning consoles had a second to react, some reaching for their weapons and several scrambling for alarm buttons.

The odds against the ten-man ICE squad were two to one, but they were trained to handle much higher odds than that. All signs of resistance were quashed within five seconds of the assault beginning.

While Collins and Hanks checked the fallen NRA soldiers for survivors, and moved the bodies to the side of the room, Kaikiaichi and Reed sat down at what appeared to be the primary security operations station.

While Kaikiaichi was qualified in computer networking, Reed had specialised knowledge and experience of security systems. Quickly and professionally manipulating controls on the console, the Private called up the information she was looking for.

"I'm deactivating all camera recording on all levels of the bunker complex," she spoke to the General over her shoulder, "and it looks like I can get access to completely disable the entire security alarm grid. It will take me some time to work out how to achieve that though."

Riam nodded, and glanced over at the Corporal and Sergeant going about their work. He was about to walk over to them when Reed caught his attention again.

"Uh, Sir," she called to the ICE leader, "I think we have a problem."

Kaikiaichi looked of Reed's shoulder again. "What's up, Private?"

"All main access points to Level Four have been sealed," she explained, "to provide extra security for the nukes. I can't find any way to override them from here, the blast doors seem to be sealed and controlled from below. The emergency exits that connect to that level should be open, but contain internal alarms on a separate grid that I can't bypass without some specialised equipment. I'm afraid I didn't pack what's needed, Sir."

The Australian frowned, "There has to be a way down, there are very limited facilities suitable for accommodation down there. The scientists have assigned quarters on Level Two."

"There is a way, General," Reed confirmed, "but there's a slight problem. The only way to get down there is on the other side of the security barracks, and there's no way to get to it without heading through the barracks itself."

"Hmm," the General pondered, "that's not entirely good news. That course would take us past the security armoury though, correct?"

"Yes Sir," the infiltration specialist nodded, "that's correct."

"It's a secondary objective to eliminate that if we can then," Kaikiaichi stated.

"Aye Sir," Reed agreed, "however I recommend timed explosives to detonate after we're clear. A detonation would activate the fire alarms, which are also on a separate grid beyond my control."

Riam nodded. "The holding cells are also along the route, are they not?"

"Holding cells?" Reed questioned. "Yes they are, but do we have an objective there?"

"We may do," the Australian informed her, "call up the current prisoner manifest if you could."  
"Certainly General," Reed performed the task with a few quick presses on the keyboard in front of her.

Only one name was listed as being held, and Riam sighed as he read it.

MacDougal, Sarah

"Ah, bugger," he muttered, "it _is_ her."

"Someone you know, Sir?" Reed inquired from her seat at the console.

"Yes Private," Kaikiaichi acknowledged, "someone I know. Looks like we'll be doing a little prison break while we're here. Access to the cells is keycard-controlled?"

"Aye General," the infiltration specialist nodded, "as are all secure doors, and everything on Levels Four and Five as well. I'm isolating the controls for the keycard printing system so I can get you an access all areas master keycard."

As the Private finished speaking, a chime sounded from the console and a newly printed keycard dropped into a slot.

The Australian picked up the new keycard and read the name listed on it. "Ali Baba?" He looked at Reed.

"Open Sesame, Sir." The Private grinned.

Riam chuckled, then slid the keycard into his pocket and addressed the group. "Okay guys," he called, "time for the next stage. Reed is going to remain here to bypass the security systems and disable the internal alarms. Lloyd will stay with her as backup. Lloyd will also keep watch on the monitors and intercept anyone heading here, or into the number three security barracks. The reason barracks three will be watched is that the rest of us will be clearing the barracks and eliminating all hostiles."

The Commandos were visibly surprised at that, they hadn't been expecting to take on an entire barracks full of opposing forces.

"General," Hanks stepped forward, "we're not planning to slaughter them in their sleep, are we?"

"Negative, Sergeant," the ISO director assured him, "you know that's not part of my code of conduct. The reason I've singled out barracks three, apart from it being the closest, is that the shift there is scheduled on drills right now. They are the group who were doing parade drill on the parade ground when we were on our way in. They should be preparing to depart for weapons practice in five minutes if they're sticking to the normal itinerary, so they'll be armed and prepped."

Hanks nodded and stepped back, and relief seemed visible on the faces of the rest of the team.

"The barracks are soundproofed," the Australian continued, "so once the entry door is closed we need not worry about noise level. The alarm buttons there are still active though. Preventing them from being reached is your first priority."

Kaikiaichi glanced at the ICE Team to make sure they were paying close attention, then continued. "Once the barracks are secured, we will have access to Level Four, and from there it should be an easy run to Level Five with the security systems down. Prior to proceeding there however, we will plant a demolition charge in the security armoury, and liberate a prisoner from the holding cells."

Hanks stepped forwards once again, asking a question on behalf of the entire team. "Excuse me Sir… A prisoner?"

"Yes," Kaikiaichi replied, "an archaeologist working to preserve important and historical works from being destroyed in this post-Cataclysmic age."

"I couldn't help but notice that this wasn't in the briefing, Sir." Hanks noted.

"Very observant," the General smiled, "indeed it wasn't. Until we gained access to the prisoner manifest in Security Control, I wasn't entirely certain she was held here."

"Friend of yours, Sir?" Hanks inquired.

"An acquaintance." Riam stated simply. "Something more maybe, something less perhaps. Right now it doesn't really matter. She's coming with us."

"Understood General," Hanks nodded, "we're ready to move out at your command."

"Weapons checked and reloaded while I was occupied with Reed, I assume?" Riam looked to the squad Sergeant for the answer.

"Aye Sir," Hanks affirmed, "all equipment checks out fine, all weapons carrying full clips."

"Consider the command given then," the ICE leader smiled, "let's move it people."

Outside the door leading into number three barracks, Riam and his ICE Team assumed positions for entry and assault into the barracks. They were a fearsome sight, clad in their black tactical uniforms and armed with Sub-Machine Guns as their primary weapons. Each ICE Commando was welcome to select their own preferred weapons from the SASA armouries. Collins, for example, used the classic MP5 SMG for covert CQB ops such as their current mission.

Hanks stood by the activation button that would open the door, P90 at the ready. Collins was positioned directly in front of the door with his MP5, taking point as usual. Kaikiaichi had stationed himself right behind Collins, and would be the second ICE member to enter the barracks. Hanks would follow him, and then the other five members of the team would make their entrance.

Hanks held up his open hand, using his fingers as a silent countdown in classic special ops style. As his last finger curled in, Hanks slapped the door control with he other hand. Collins burst through the instant there was enough clearance for his solid frame to do so, with Riam easily slipping through the gap behind the Corporal as the door continued to open.

The NRA soldiers inside the room were indeed preparing for firearms practice, each of them holding their assault rifles.

They glanced up at the new arrivals, startled by their garb. A second later roughly organised chaos ensued.

Collins and Kaikiaichi broke away from the door, the Corporal to the right and the General to the left, clearing the way for the Commandos behind them. Both aimed their weapons as they moved, pulling the triggers to release short controlled bursts of fire into the opposition.

Meanwhile, the enemy was beginning to return fire and coordinate a defence, overturning tables to create barricades.

A quick glance back towards the door assured the ICE commander that the entire team had made it inside already, and the soundproofed door had slid closed behind them. The sounds of gunfire that had sprung up from the hostile forces in the number three barracks would go unheeded, unless one of the opposition managed to activate an alarm.

Several of the NRA soldiers hadn't taken cover with the rest of their unit, and were ducking and weaving their way towards the alarm buttons. The ICE Team were concentrating on laying down a suppressing fire on the concentrated groups of hostiles, occasionally swinging their weapons onto another target when they noticed one of the opposition heading towards an alarm button.

Riam was taken by surprise when an extra-stealthy NRA soldier suddenly sprang up in front of him. In a flash, the ICE leader aimed his SMG and pulled the trigger. His opponent flinched, but all the gun emitted was a clicking sound – The magazine was empty.

The NRA man immediately leapt forward past Kaikiaichi, aiming for the alarm button on the wall behind the ISO officer.

Dropping the P90 as soon as he realised it was out of ammunition, Riam kicked out with his left leg, contacting the hostile soldier in mid-jump and propelling his opponent into the wall two metres away. At the same moment his left leg was being raised for the kick, Kaikiaichi's right hand reached down to his tactical thigh holster and drew his pistol. The ICE operative was already beginning to aim at a separate target, even as he heard the thud of his previous opponent slamming into the wall.

Rapidly squeezing off three rounds from the semi-automatic weapon, Riam dropped a soldier running for an alarm switch at the opposite end of the room.

Meanwhile, Hanks and his Red Team were maintaining the suppressing fire against the barricaded NRA soldiers, while Collins had taken the other Gold Team Commandos and was moving along one side of the room to outflank the opposition.

Keeping behind the cover, and with the hostiles focused on the hail of fire above them, Gold Team managed to get in position and commenced their flanking assault against the hostile forces.

The undivided attention of the enemy was now focussed on the new threat, allowing Hanks and team to break from their cover and dash forwards to flank the NRA soldiers from the other side.

Careful to avoid crossfire between teams, and with the enemy trapped in the middle, the engagement was short but lethal.

The NRA forces had been completely neutralised. Most were dead, although several were unconscious due to wounds or wall-related impact concussion.

The ICE Team had sustained a single injury; one of the privates had been bruised and temporarily winded when the light armour of his tactical vest had caught a bullet.

Riam picked up his P90 from the ground where he had dropped it, and quickly exchanged the empty magazine for a full fifty-round clip. The other ICE members were doing the same, reloading their weapons in preparation for the next engagement. The General also needed to reload his pistol, a step that wasn't required by the other Commandos, as they hadn't needed to resort to their own sidearms.

Once prepared, the ICE Team formed up and exited the barracks.

Their first stop was the armoury.

"Okay," Riam directed, "we take a left from this corridor, then the next right from there. That should place us right at the armoury door."

Wasting no time, Collins took the point position and followed the directions given.

Several seconds later, the Commandos were indeed standing outside a door marked "ARMORY" in bold upper-case lettering.

As before, Hanks took charge of the operating the control to open the door, while Collins and Kaikiaichi prepared to storm inside.

The Corporal was first in through the door as it slid aside, with the General right behind.

As they burst in, they caught sight of an armoury duty officer seated behind an armoured glass window. The Commandos weapons would probably have trouble punching through the glass, but luckily the NRA officer was leaning backwards in his chair having a snooze.

Moving quietly, Riam slid the "Ali Baba" keycard out of his pocket and moved to a door positioned next to the glass window. He swiped the card through a slot near the door handle, and smiled when a green light blinked on, granting him entry. The ICE commander silently opened the door and moved stealthily towards the sleeping guard. A rapid strike from the ex-vigilante sent the security officer from a restful slumber into forced unconsciousness.

Behind the guards station was the access to the armoury itself, a solidly constructed blast door with a keycard access slot next to it. A quick swipe of the master keycard was all it took to open the thick slab of metal, the heavy door sliding upwards to provide access.

The armoury was stocked with a variety of light arms, chiefly pistols, sub-machine guns, and shotguns. The heavier weapons would be stored in the Level Two military armoury, which the Commandos would destroy on their way out of the facility.

Hanson, one of two demolition specialists with the ICE Team for the mission, moved into the armoury to plant her special demolition charges. Riam didn't know the specifics of how they worked, but the detonation of the charges triggered a blast of insanely high temperatures. The effect would turn anything flammable to ash, and melt anything metal to unrecognisable slag. It wouldn't burn through the blast door, but would likely fuse the interior of the door to its frame, rendering the portal inoperable.

Her charges set, Hanson returned to Kaikiaichi who was standing outside the armoury door.

"I've set the timers, Sir," she informed him, "the settings should allow us to be well clear of here by the time they blow."

"Good work," the General approved, "absolutely no chance of a radio-controlled detonation I assume?"

"Zero chance," Hanson confirmed, "no way the signal would get through once those doors are closed."

"Thanks, Private." The Australian pressed the control to close the armoury door, then turned to the rest of the ICE Team. "Time for that prison break," he told them, "Expect one duty guard there."

Taking the lead, Kaikiaichi exited the armoury area and stepped back out into the corridor. The team followed their commander as he headed for their destination. The group turned left, then to the right as they entered the main passageway which would lead to the holding cells. About halfway along the main corridor, a transmission came through from Reed back in the Security Control Centre.

"Reed to ICE Alpha Prime," she hailed the team, "reporting security alert system is now offline."

"Great work, Private," the Australian signalled back to her, then turned to the other Commandos. "Squad," he addressed the group, "we are now cleared to use tactics to minimise casualties. Let's try and take the prison officer alive so we can interrogate him about the person they're holding."

Riam turned back down the corridor and continued towards the holding cells.

Arriving at the cell block entrance a short time later, the leader of the ICE infiltrators once again swiped "Ali Baba" through a keycard slot to gain access. Walking inside, the ISO General saw only an unoccupied desk, with no indication of a guard in sight. Cautiously proceeding further into the room also failed to reveal any sign of a security officer. Suddenly hearing the subdued clicking sound of Collins' silenced MP5 firing, Kaikiaichi spun around to see the figure of the previously unseen prison guard crumpling to the ground with a pistol falling from his hand.

"Sorry Sir," Collins apologised, "I know you wanted him alive, but he was about to shoot you."

"Well," the General boasted, "I have been known to dodge bullets before."

"I know you've done so sometimes, Sir," Collins remarked, "reflexively only, and you'd need to actually see when it was being fired. Bullets travel faster than the speed of sound. With all due respect, you'd have no chance from behind. Besides that, you can't always manage to do it. I remember a few months back when you took a hit in the leg, and before that when you caught that bullet in your poste…"

"Yes, yes," Riam interrupted, "I think everyone in SASA knows about that one."

The other Commandos watching the conversation all snickered.

"That's enough of that," the ISO General told them, "I'll share some embarrassing stories of Corporal Collins when we get back. For now, let's concentrate on the mission."

Turning away from the rest of the group, the Australian walked over to the guard's desk and took a look at a logbook conveniently placed there.

It was easy to see that only cell number three was in use, so the ICE commander and his team approached the cell in question.

The cell doors were solid, not barred like in stereotypical prison movies. There were small viewing hatches set into each of the doors, but the General didn't bother opening any of them.

He proceeded directly to cell number three and swiped the keycard through the access slot. Somewhat anxiously, he grasped the handle and opened the door.

The cell was empty.

Riam blinked a few times, wondering if she'd been transferred out already, when a pair of booted feet came swinging down from above the doorframe, where the cell occupant had been concealing herself.

The boots slammed into the Australian's chest, pushing him back half a metre, but not knocking him off his feet.

A blonde-haired figure dropped down from inside the cell and threw a punch with her right fist, aimed at her opponent's head.

The ICE leader swiftly raised his own hand, managing to intercept the attack and capture the incoming fist with his open left hand.

The girl's deceptively young appearance belied her true age, but made it simple for the Australian ex-vigilante to instantly recognise her.

"Hey there Sarah," he smiled, "good to see you too. It's been a while."

The blonde American stared at her old travelling companion in surprise for a few seconds.

Kaikiaichi released the gentle grasp he had used to catch MacDougal's attack, allowing her hand to fall back down to her side.

Instead of letting the fist fall back into its natural position however, Sarah pulled back her arm and punched Riam square on the jaw.

"You know what that's for, you bastard." She unclenched her fist and returned her arm to her side.

"Yeah, I know," the Australian acknowledged sheepishly, "and I deserved that. I deserve a lot more than that."

"Believe me, Riam," the blonde woman scowled, "you'll be getting a lot more when we get out of here. On that note," her expression changed to a smile, "thanks for rescuing me. You always had a knack for those heroic things."

"Not heroic," the ex-vigilante assured her, "just the right place at the right time. Or the wrong place and wrong time, depending on the situation at hand."

"Well," she told him, "in my opinion you sure showed up at the right place this time. Are we getting out of here now?"

"Not quite yet," the ISO General explained, "we still have a primary objective to accomplish."

"You have a primary objective? You mean rescuing me is just an afterthought?" MacDougal began to scowl again.

"Heck no," Kaikiaichi smiled, "you're the bonus objective. You're worth a lot more points to me as well."

"Whatever," she shrugged, "if you're trying to smooth-talk your way out of things it's not going to work. Anyway, tell me about this primary objective, and someone give me a weapon."

"Short version of the mission," Riam explained, "is we're here to eliminate some nuclear weapons."

"Right," she nodded, "good enough. And who are these goons with you?" the attractive archaeologist cast a critical eye over the ISO Special Forces team.

"They're members of my ICE squad," Riam told her.

Sarah snickered, "ICE, huh? I bet that's an acronym you came up with just to sound cool."

The ISO General winced, "is it that obvious?"

"You've always been that transparent to me," MacDougal told him, "now give me a weapon and lets go."

Riam drew his pistol from the holster and handed it to Sarah.

After checking the gun was loaded and ready for action, MacDougal nodded to Kaikiaichi and the group moved out.

It wasn't long before they all arrived at the inter-level access point; a large three-story open chamber that traversed levels three, four, and five. A gently sloping metal cargo ramp connected the three levels, descending downwards in a spiral-like pattern. On its journey downward, the ramp crossed each of the four walls twice before reaching the bottom. The middle of the chamber was nothing more then a large open space, the purpose of which may have been to transfer large cargo using crane equipment on the roof above.

From down below, somewhere out of sight, the ICE Team could hear voices drifting up from below, indicating the likely presence of more security guards. From the sound of things, it seemed there were only two participants taking part in the conversation.

"I'll take care of this," the ICE commander stated quietly as he handed his P90 to the blonde archaeologist, "hold on to this for me, and follow me down in five seconds."

With those words, Riam took a few steps forward and jumped forwards, performing a mid-air flip before diving down through the centre of the chamber.

"Show off…" Sarah muttered, shaking her head.

At the bottom of the large open room, two uniformed NRA guards were sitting on packing crates playing poker with each other.

As Kaikiaichi rushed downwards, he was able to see the hands both of the soldiers held; one had a Royal Flush, the other was holding four Aces.

"Almost a shame to break this one up," Riam thought to himself.

The poker-playing guards never had a clue what hit them, both unconscious before they even realised somebody else was in the chamber.

Following after their leader, the other members of the ICE Team descended to the Level Five via the more sensible route of the ramp. MacDougal was with them of course, and tossed the SMG to Kaikiaichi as she neared the Australian.

"I'm sure that was a challenging fight," Riam's old travelling companion remarked sarcastically, as she glanced at the two unconscious men slumped over their improvised poker table.

"About as challenging as that time you used a LAW to take out one guy armed with a knife," the Australian responded.

"Oh come on, are you _still_ teasing me about that?" Sarah playfully punched the ISO officer in the arm, "That was only weapon I had with me. And remember that I was actually saving your life at the time."

"Yeah, I remember," Riam chuckled, "and after that I had to save both of us when your LAW blast started the temple collapsing around us."  
"What?" MacDougal snorted in indignation, "you did _not_ save me, I was…"  
"Ahem," Sergeant Hanks cleared his throat to get the attention of the two old companions. "General, as exciting as your previous adventures sound, shouldn't we take care of the mission first?"

"Of course Sergeant," Kaikiaichi nodded, "you're absolutely right."  
"General, huh?" the blonde woman snickered.

"Oh, you be quiet," the Australian smiled, "let's go."

The squad moved out, walking along a large cargo corridor that was the only obvious exit leading out of the room.

In a few minutes they had reached the end of the cargo tunnel, with a large door blocking further progress. A smaller well-lit passage lead off to the side though, and the team approached it to cautiously investigate.

Peering down the new corridor revealed a two-door "security lock" station. Similar to an airlock, it was designed so that the security officers manning the station would let a person through one door, verify their identity, then open the opposite door and let them continue on their way.

Two guards were visible manning he security lock, stationed securely behind a think pane of armoured glass.

The trained infiltration operatives, as well as the observant MacDougal, immediately noticed an easy way into the secured guardroom – An air vent set directly above the heads of the two guards inside.

The team tucked back around the corner, out of sight of the guards, to discuss the plan.

"Okay," the team leader began, "we'll send somebody through the ventilation system. We should able to gain access through the vent up on that wall." Kaikiaichi indicated a duct outlet situated high on the wall of the cargo corridor. "I'll ditch my equipment again, go into the duct, and then…"

"Hey, hold up," Sarah demanded, "I'll do it. I don't have to waste time getting rid of any equipment. Besides, why should you get to have all the fun?"

Riam looked over at his companion and took only a second to make up his mind. "Good idea, Sarah, thanks for volunteering."

Wasting no time, the ICE commander hoisted the archaeologist up so she could open the vent and crawl into the duct. After she was inside, the blonde woman peered out and looked down at Kaikiaichi.

"You know," she called to Riam, "this reminds me of when we…" noticing Hanks shooting her an almost threatening look, MacDougal decided against continuing. "Uh, we'll reminisce later."

Ducking back into the duct, Sarah crawled her way rapidly and stealthily to the location that would give her access to the guard station.

Looking down through the grilled vent opening, she was easily able to see the guards relaxing below. Both were engaged in reading novels, one reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" and the other engrossed in "Revenge of the Surfboarding Killer Bikini Vampire Girls".

Studying the screws that fastened the vent covering to the duct, the intrepid archaeologist determined that she wouldn't be able to open it from the inside.

"Good," she thought to herself, "I was hoping for a more dramatic entry anyway."

Bracing herself against the duct wall, the blonde woman kicked at the grille, tearing the screws from their housings and sending the vent cover clattering to the ground between the two guards. Startled, both threw down their books and looked upwards, just in time to see the figure of Sarah MacDougal dropping through the opening. Two swift moves from the Jeet Kun Do master had the two NRA soldiers out for the count.

Quickly determining the correct method of opening the security lock doors, she made the necessary adjustments to allow the ICE Team to pass unhindered.

The guard station had no door opening back into the corridor, only a single exit located in the back wall. As the group of SASA Special Forces approached the armoured window, the blonde archaeologist signalled to them that she would leave via the exit door of the guard station, and make her own way to the nuclear weapons lab to meet them there.

As the Commandos proceeded on their way, MacDougal opened the guard station door and peered out.

A long empty corridor stretched away to the right, while a shorter corridor vanished around a corner to the left. The right-hand tunnel led deeper into the level and towards the primary objective area, so she naturally began walking in that direction. Arriving at a corner, she quickly peeked around to see two armed guards standing outside a heavy-looking door.

Sarah had extensive experience infiltrating guarded facilities both covertly and with all-out assaults. Like Riam and the rest of the SASA forces though, she tried to avoid indiscriminately taking lives. Directly above her, the adventurous archaeologist noticed open cabling running along the roof providing power the lights in the corridor. Jumping upwards, she managed to grab hold of the cables and yank them down without creating too much noise. Instead of easily breaking apart as she had hoped though, the cable had enough slack for her to pull it all the way down to the floor. Pondering the next step, her observant eye spotted a fire axe with a rubber-coated handle on the wall. Grabbing the axe with a smile, she hefted the tool up, then swung it downwards at the cable now lying on the floor. With a snap, the lights in the corridor were extinguished completely. Some daft designer seemed to have put power for the emergency lights in the same cable with the primary power connection, which meant the backup lighting failed to kick in.

The door guards, understandably confused, reacted with exclamations of surprise, scrambling to find the flashlights on their belts.

Sarah wasn't able to see well enough in the pitch darkness to launch a successful attack, but she had another plan.

As the first of the guards found his torch and switched the device on, he swept the beam of light around the corridor. Seeing nothing, he slowly walked forwards, sweeping the beam back and forth as he did so.

Behind him, the other guard managed to activate his own flashlight, also sweeping it around the corridor.

Neither of them noticed the figure in the shadows above them. Sarah had swiftly and silently moved herself along the corridor ceiling, grasping convenient pipes attached to it. Directly above the rearmost Security Officer, and with the other guard's back turned, she dropped down on her target, driving him to the ground with a light thud. As the guard fell to the floor unconscious, MacDougal smoothly scooped the flashlight from her opponent's hand and walked towards the lead NRA soldier.

The soldier had heard the sound of his companion hitting the floor, and turned to look. "Harrison," he called out, "are you alright?"

Of course there was no reply, but Sarah walked rapidly up to the worried security guard, shining the bright light directly into his eyes.

"Cut it out Harrison," the man demanded, "do you want me to put you on report?"

By this time, the blonde woman had reached her target. Lowering the torch beam away from the soldier's eyes, MacDougal gave him just enough time to realise she was not his partner before rendering him unconscious.

The adventurous archaeologist turned around and returned to the sealed door, stepping over the first unconscious guard on her way there.

The door was locked, with a keycard access slot by the side, but a quick search of the sleeping soldiers quickly yielded a solution to the problem. Both guards had "blue level" access cards, whatever that meant, but the important thing was that they worked.

Swiping her newly acquired security pass through the keycard slot, MacDougal waited for the door to open, then stepped through it.

Sarah now found herself in a brightly-lit room, with windows looking out into a large work area beyond. The room was supplied with comfortable furniture, tables, and several vending machines, which indicated to her that it was some type of break room. It was currently unoccupied. Moving over to the windows and looking out, she saw that she had found the nuclear weapons lab below her. Three battered –looking missile warheads were visible altogether, spaced evenly along the lab floor. NRA scientists were actively working on all three nuclear devices, although the archaeologist had no clue what they were doing with them.

Catching some movement from the opposite side of the laboratory chamber, the blonde woman looked across to see another set of windows, with what appeared to be an office area behind them. Standing in the office was a group of eight figures, clad in black, and armed with CQB assault weapons. Riam and his ICE Team had also arrived at the weapons lab.

The ISO General stood in the laboratory's meeting room, his Commandos close by.

He had been in the middle of studying the lab layout below when he noticed the blonde archaeologist appearing in the break room. The Australian was happy to see her, and waved to attract her attention. Once Sarah had caught sight of them and waved back, he returned to the task of planning the assault.

"Okay," he began, "there are four primary entrances to the work floor, one at each corner of the area. Two are accessible from here; the other two provide access only on MacDougal's side. We split up into two teams, four men each, designated Red Team and Gold Team as usual. Hanks leads Red, I lead Gold, usual drill. Each team will take a separate access point, with simultaneous entry times."

The ICE Team all checked their wrist-chronometers to ensure they were synchronised down to the millisecon. They were all perfectly synched, of course.

"The lab," Kaikiaichi continued, "is guarded by twenty-two guards that I have been able to confirm. There may be more. There are three-man units stationed at all four corners of the area, near the access points. There is another three-man unit near the centre of the chamber. There is one three-man unit moving along a patrol path. There are four other soldiers stationed at various points around the room. There may be more, so don't assume the area is secure after we've taken them all out, wait for a security sweep to be completed. Kill none of scientists, unless they pick up a weapon and begin shooting you first. Fire on guards only if necessary. Try to subdue opponents instead of eliminating them. Clear?"

"Yes Sir," Hanks and the other team members nodded, "clear."

"Okay," Riam hefted his SMG, "let's do it!"

Eighty-five seconds later, the Commandos bust from doors at both ends of the room, making like they were a SWAT Team. Orders demanding the NRA soldiers to drop their weapons and get down on the ground were called out loudly and repeatedly.

Naturally, many of the hostiles failed to comply, and loud weapons fire rang out in the lab. The ICE Team had removed silencers from their weapons, now that the alarms were disabled and stealth was no longer an issue, for extra shock effect.

Sarah MacDougal emerged from her own door near one of the corners a few seconds later, the blonde super-archaeologist firing lethally precise shots from her pistol. Dodging and leaping between cover, several NRA soldiers dropped to her deadly fire before they noticed she was even there.

With the ample cover in lab, this was going to be a longer drawn-out firefight.

Both working their way towards the centre of the chamber, it was long before Riam and Sarah met up behind a barricade. Hails of suppressing fire from the entrenched enemy had them pinned down.

"This really is just like old times," the blonde grinned as the dark-haired Australian passed her a new ammo clip for the pistol.

"Sure is," Kaikiaichi smiled back, "remember what we did when we were in a situation like this before?"

MacDougal laughed, "we've been in _lots_ of situations like this!"

"True enough," the ICE Commander conceded, "I'm referring to the third temple we and Seta visited on our second Aztec tour."

"Ah right," Sarah's eyes lit up as she remembered, "but we don't have any extra weapons with us this time."

"I'll handle that," Riam winked.

Hanks was also pinned behind a nearby desk, taking the time to reload his own P90 SMG.

Kaikiaichi signalled to the Sergeant, gaining his attention. Once Hanks had turned his attention towards him, Riam gestured that he wanted the Sergeant to throw both his SMG and pistol to where Sarah and he were crouched.

Without hesitation, Hanks obeyed the order, smoothly tossing the weapons to the ISO General.

Riam caught the P90 in his left hand, and Sarah grabbed the pistol in her own off-hand. During their previous adventures, both Kaikiaichi and MacDougal had trained to be completely ambidextrous with weapons. They could both dual-wield their guns perfectly.

The General gestured to Hanks once again, this time signalling the Sergeant to toss an object over the top of the barricade to where the main concentration of enemy forces were firing from. All they needed was to distract the enemy for a second.

Hanks lobbed a glass beaker straight into the midst of the enemy, the object momentarily catching the NRA soldiers' attention.

As soon as they heard the gunfire above their heads ease even a tiny bit, Riam and Sarah sprung up, vaulted over the top of their barricade, and stormed the enemy position. Each of their weapons spat individual trails of death, mowing down the enemy soldiers where they stood.

In a few seconds they vaulted inside the enemy's barricade and ensured that it was clear of danger. The firing outside slowly died down, as the ICE Team mopped up those who wouldn't surrender, and secured those who would.

There had been more than the twenty-two estimated guards, but an exact body count would have been a waste of time.

Kaikiaichi and MacDougal walked over to Hanks and returned the borrowed firearms.

"Thanks for the loan, Sergeant," the General told him, "we appreciate it."

"It was worth it Sir," Hanks smiled as he took back and reloaded his weapons, "it was a privilege to see that assault. You two make a great team."

With that statement, Hanks turned and walked off. He didn't see Riam and Sarah glance at each other slightly uncomfortably after the comment.

"He's right you know," MacDougal said, sitting down on an overturned piece of furniture, "we were a great team."

"Yeah," Kaikiaichi agreed smiling sadly, "we were, but I sure buggered that up."

The blonde archaeologist was about to reply when Collins called for the General's attention.

Riam walked over to where Collins and five other ICE Team members had rounded up the scientists. Hanks and two more Commandos were performing a final security sweep of the area.

"General," Collins addressed Kaikiaichi, "did you want to interrogate any of these science guys?"

"I don't think so," the Australian shook his head, "just secure them somewhere so they can't raise the alarm until we're out of here."

"Wait," MacDougal stepped forward, "I have a question."  
"Ask away," Riam told her, "be my guest."

Sarah turned to the assembled scientists and asked her question. "Where is the Ophidian _Eye of the Moon _data disc?"

A balding grey-haired scientist spoke up. "What," he asked, "so you can steal it again?"

"Steal it?" Sarah snorted. "Hardly. That data was collected by my father, and stolen from him before his research was completed. It rightfully belongs to me now, I'm continuing the work that he started."

"Bah," the scientist retorted, "and once you've done that I suppose you'll leave it somewhere to moulder away unused."

"Look," MacDougal frowned, "I'm preserving that information for posterity and future research into the ancient culture of the Ophidians. Almost everything about them is unknown. I don't know what you think you can do with it, but performing any of the rituals detailed on the disc might destroy the artefact."

Kaikiaichi blinked. "I don't recall this culture as being part of our travels," he remarked to the archaeologist.

"You weren't with us when we were researching them," was MacDougal's reply.

"The information on that disc," the scientist stated haughtily, "is invaluable. When we can locate that artefact and decrypt the process of the third ritual, it will have the potential to radically change and expand a nuclear detonation."

"Figures you'd want to use that data for more darn indiscriminately destructive weapons," Sarah snorted in disgust.

"We're expanding human technology…" the scientist began speaking, but was interrupted by Collins.

"Gosh Darnit," Collins exclaimed, stepping toward the scientist, "would you two stop arguing already? It doesn't matter. This is non-negotiable." The Corporal prodded the scientist with the business end of his MP5. "Give the lady whatever the heck it is that she wants."

"It's in a case," the grey-haired scientist gulped, "at the north end of the lab. The case is locked with both a numerical keypad and dual keycard access, and the door to the room is locked with keycard access, numerical code, and a physical lock."

Collins prodded the scared scientist a little harder. "What are the codes, where is the key, and where are the access cards?"

"The key is in my pocket," the balding man quivered, "one of the access keycards is as well. The other keycard needed is a Gold Level security pass, which I don't have. The code to the door is one-three-nine-two-one-six, the code for the case is three-two-seven-four-four-three."

Riam held up Ali Baba's keycard. "This is an all-access master keycard, will it work?"

The scientist nodded, "It should do."

"Give me the key and the other keycard then," Sarah demanded, approaching the scientist, "and it better be the right disc."

The scientist handed over the goods, and MacDougal set off, followed by Kaikiaichi.

They soon located the correct door and used the scientist's key and keycard, as well as the code number, to gain access.

Inside, the two explorers discovered an elaborately illuminated pedestal, with a transparent armoured glass cover over it. On top of the pedestal sat an optical disc in a protective case. A low column in front of the pedestal contained two keycard slots on either side of a keypad.

Riam and Sarah both inserted their cards, then Sarah punched in the code.

With a hiss, the glass slid downwards into the floor, allowing access to the disc. MacDougal picked it up, examined it, and then slipped it into a pocket.

"Hmm," the Australian asked, "wouldn't they have made a copy of the disc?"

"Nope," replied Sarah while shaking her head, "you saw how they protected this copy. The data is too sensitive for them to risk it."

"Okay," Riam nodded, "let's get back to the team then.

By the time the two explorers had returned from acquiring the disc, Hanks and his men had completed their security patrol and were standing by with the rest of the ICE Team.

"Okay," the ISO General addressed his men, "now we'd better take care of the Primary Objective before I forget. Let's neutralise those nukes."

"What?!" the grey-haired scientist, who appeared to be the lead scientist, jumped up from where he was sitting, "you're going to destroy our entire advanced weapons program?!"

"Wow," Riam commented, "what awesome deductive capabilities you possess. No wonder you're a scientist. Corporal, lock 'em up in that supply room over there."

"Aye Sir," Collins smiled, "with pleasure."

As the Corporal and most of the Commandos herded the scientists into the supply room, Kaikiaichi approached the closest nuke with Hanks and MacDougal following him.

"Are you going to blow them up with explosives?" Sarah glanced over to the ICE leader.

"Nope," responded the Australian, "my Goddess has provided us with a nanomolecular solution for completely neutralising whatever makes these things tick. I don't have a clue what any of the scientific junk means, but it works."

"Goddess?" MacDougal questioned, "How do you mean?"

"You don't know of the Goddesses?" Riam looked surprised. "The rulers of the Empires? The major world powers?"

"Uh," Sarah scratched her head sheepishly, "I have no clue about world politics. I've been way too busy trying to prevent important historical knowledge from being lost forever."

"Ah," Kaikiaichi nodded, "you're as much into your work as your father was. I'll fill you in later."

The ICE commander removed a small sealed tube from a pocket on his tactical vest, aimed it at the nuclear warhead, and depressed a button on the device. A fine green mist sprayed from the object to completely cover the nuke.

As they watched, the green substance seemed to be absorbed right through the metal exterior of the dangerous weapon, making its way inside to do its job.

Riam replaced the empty tube back in his vest pocket, drew forth an identical device, and proceeded to the next nuclear warhead.

Repeating the procedure with both remaining warheads, Kaikiaichi then removed a computerised scanning device of some sort from his vest and passed it over each of the nukes. The device reported they had all been completely neutralised.

"Okay," the General called out to the rest of the ICE squad, "Primary Objective completed successfully. Secondary objective is destruction of the military armoury on Level Two. That floor is packed with barracks and training facilities, so we're going back to sound-suppressed weapons. We don't want half of the NRA coming down on us."

The Commandos nodded, immediately returning their weapons to stealth mode.

"We'll stop on Level Three to pick Lloyd and Reed," Riam continued, "then take an elevator up to Level Two. There's a cargo elevator in a relatively quiet area of Level Three that will drop us off conveniently close to the Armoury. Once there, Hanson will set them up the bomb. After that, we make directly for a nearby stairway that will take us to Level One, then head to the exit. We wait for the all clear from satellite recon, double-time it back to Bravo Team at the museum, and hook up with them. Then it's straight back to the extraction zone and back home in time for breakfast. Questions?"

There were no questions from the assembled team.

"Okay," Riam ordered, "let's head on up."

The ICE Team had an entirely uneventful trek back upstairs to Level Three, where the Infiltration and Recon Specialists were happy to rejoin the squad. Their trip to the cargo elevator was also unremarkable, and they headed up to Level Two with no further enemy encounters.

The elevator dropped them off directly opposite the main doors to the military armoury. The close proximity of the cargo elevator was most likely intended to easily move weapons in or out in mass quantities. The military armoury was an entire complex in itself, and the ICE Commandos didn't carry enough explosives to destroy it. Luckily, the armoury stocked a large quantity of explosives, which Hanson would use when setting them up the bomb.

As the elevator doors slid aside, Collins and Hanks took care of two sentries posted outside the armoury, as well as a two-man security patrol who were unlucky enough to be walking past at the wrong time.

The military armoury was certain to be more closely protected than the security armoury, but since Reed had disabled the alarm systems it would be less of a worry.

Taking up standard aggressive entry positions outside the door, Collins, Hanks, and Kaikiaichi prepared for their normal opening of the door and storming inside.

Like clockwork, Hanks hit the button to open the doors, and Collins was inside as soon as he could squeeze through the widening gap. Kaikiaichi was right behind the Corporal, noting two soldiers sitting behind an armoured glass security window, and three armed soldiers outside.

The ISO General took care of one soldier, and Collins handled the other two as Riam dashed over to a door which provided access into the armour-glassed area. The door unlocked with a single swipe of Ali Baba's magic keycard through the slot provided, and the ex-vigilante dashed inside. He performed a commando-roll on the ground as he entered, avoiding a flurry of weapons fire from the two soldiers inside the glassed area. Completing the roll, Kaikiaichi came up firing, expertly precise shots dropping the hostile targets instantly. By then, the rest of the Commandos had also moved inside the armoury lobby. They'd carried the bodies of the soldiers killed in the hallway in with them, to minimise signs of the ICE Team's invasive presence.

Hanson swiftly made her way to the armoury entrance, where Riam obligingly opened the heavy blast doors for her.

Looking inside the large interior for a few seconds, Hanson turned to the ICE commander.

"Sir," the Demolitions Specialist addressed him, "rough estimate, it might take as long as ten minutes to wire this place up for total annihilation."

"Do what you have to do, Private," the General told her, "whatever it takes to remove the threat."

"Yes Sir," Hanson nodded, "I could also use a couple of people to help me shift the explosives around."

"Right," Kaikiaichi nodded, turning to the other ICE Team members, "Collins, Hanks, you're the lucky pair. Get in there and give Hanson a hand."

Both of the Elite Commandos nodded and complied immediately, moving into the armoury.

The other black-clad infiltrators sat down, leaning against walls in the lobby.

Riam sat down near Sarah, but the blonde woman was leaning back with her eyes closed, and he didn't disturb her.

__

Eight minutes, fifty-two seconds later

"Sir," called Hanson as she emerged from the armoury with Collins and Hanks in tow, "we're done. She's set to blow in fifteen minutes"

"Outstanding work," Riam was on his feet in a second, "let's seal up that blast door. Reed, mind doing the honours?"

The infiltration specialist smiled as she got to her feet. "Always a pleasure, General."

Reed headed over to the armoury blast door and stepped inside for a moment. After fiddling with an electronics panel on the interior doorframe, she stepped out and pressed the button to close the door.

"General," the specialist addressed Kaikiaichi, "it's secured tight as a drum. Nobody is getting in there without some serious time, equipment, and vault-cracking knowledge."

"Good work Private," the Australian smiled, then called to the rest of the ICE Team, "let's go ladies and gentlemen, we have a plane to catch."

As soon as the Commandos had exited the armoury facility, a four-man NRA patrol walked around a corner ahead of them. The enemy soldiers hardly had time to glimpse the intruders before being cut down by silenced weapons fire.

Moving quickly, Riam led the team forwards, then around a corner to the left. A quick right-turn after that put them right at the entrance to a stairwell leading to Level One.

Hurrying inside, and moving rapidly up the stairs, the squad emerged into a corridor leading directly to the exit ramp.

The camera the ICE operatives had needed to avoid when first entering the bunker was peering straight down the passage at them, but they were now secure in the knowledge that the device posed no danger.

Arriving at the ramp in what had to be a record time, the Commandos dashed upwards and out of the bunker.

Only a second after the last of the ICE Team members had stepped out of the cargo ramp access, an alarm siren rang out over the enemy camp.

They SASA intruders would never know who or what had set off the alert, but the whole enemy base was now aware that there was something wrong.

"Reed!" Riam shouted, reacting quickly, "seal that access ramp behind us! We don't want any of the soldiers inside the bunker breathing down our necks. Lloyd, stand by the door, we may need you to provide visual recon momentarily. Hanks, make sure everyone is prepped for full-on combat."

As his orders were quickly acknowledged and carried out, Kaikiaichi activated his transmitter, opening comms to the Special Ops Mecha-Tama and Bravo Team stationed in the museum.

"ICE Alpha to Recon Four," the General hailed, "we need satellite intel. What's the situation out there?"

The response was quick in coming. "Looks like you've stirred up the nest," reported the Recon commander, "IR shows multiple contacts emerging everywhere. Doesn't look like everyone in the NRA forces knows what's going on yet, I don't see a convergence on your position."

"Roger that, Recon Four." Kaikiaichi contacted his other source of intel outside the bunker entrance. "Bravo Team, what do you see?"

"This is Bravo," responded the group leader, "we confirm Recon Four's report. Hostiles everywhere, I don't think you're going to be able to sneak out now. Looks like you'll need to make a run for it." Suddenly, Bravo Leader continued with a tone of urgency, "Hostiles closing on your position, I think they're onto you."

"Keep us covered Bravo," the ISO General ordered, "we might need to make a dash soon. Hold fire until I signal though, we don't want to tip our hand prematurely. Alpha to Tama pilot, receiving?"

"Affirmative Sir," the pilot of the Special Ops Mecha-Tama replied, "receiving loud and clear."

"Take the Tama to full ready status," Kaikiaichi commanded, "prep for liftoff. Standby at your location until further signal."

"Copy that Sir," the pilot, "Tama out."

Riam mentally noted he'd need a real name and designation for the new Mecha-Tama when he returned to SASA Command.

"Lloyd," he called to the recon specialist, "pop the door open, but don't stick your head out too far."

"Aye Sir," the Private replied as he obeyed the order.

A bullet clanged into the doorframe almost as soon as the door had slid aside.

"I'd say they're definitely onto us there, General." Hanks noted dryly.

"Certainly seems that way," the Australian agreed, "we'd better get out of here ASAP before the whole base is on top of us."

At that moment, the entire team gathered in the bunker heard a thump from underneath the thick metal door above the bunker access ramp.

"Explosive charges," commented Sarah, "not only do we need to worry about the whole base being on top of us, we need to worry about them being under us as well."

"Okay Hanks," the General addressed the squad Sergeant, "I have a plan."

As Riam was talking, a spherical grenade sailed in through the still-open door. Not batting an eyelid at it, the SASA Champion raised his forearm and swatted the back outside where it had come from. He kept talking without missing a beat, even as the team heard the sound of the grenade exploding outside.

"If we tried a straight out dash," Kaikiaichi continued, "we'd be cut down. We need to tip the balance of our odds a bit. Have everyone prepare for Night Vision."

Riam passed the Night Vision equipment supplied with his own ICE loadout to Sarah –The Australian's natural eyesight, enhanced since the Cataclysm, made NV completely unnecessary for him. He activated his transmitter to contact the other teams again.

"Recon Four," he signalled, "can you isolate their primary power generator plant on the surface?"

"Affirmative on that, Alpha," replied the Recon team, "it's lit up like a Christmas Tree on our IR imaging"

"Okay," the General dictated the next phase of his plan, "Lock the Tama's guided rockets onto that building and stand by for launch."

"Roger that," the Tama-based team transmitted back.

"Team Bravo," Kaikiaichi signalled the team covering them, "do you copy that we're turning their lights out?"

"That's a big affirmative, Alpha," the Bravo Leader told him, "Snipers already on NV scopes, all Bravo members have NV equipment active."

"Received, Bravo." Riam took a breath, and looked at the Commandos with him in the bunker entrance building to make sure they were ready for the run. He activated his transmitter and sent an order. "Tama Team, you are weapons free. I repeat, you are weapons free. Frag that power station."

Cutting the communication, the ICE commander prepared himself for the sprint.

Back at the Mecha-Tama, two panels on the shell section raised upwards. Contained under the panels was the limited armament of the craft; a total of eight guided rockets.

With a hiss, two of the guided rockets (also equipped with stealth technology) sped out of their launch bays, trailing white smoke behind them. The weapons panels on the Tama slid back down into their closed position, returning the sleek craft to its full stealth profile.

Nobody in the NRA encampment even noticed the two rockets as they streaked overhead, but everyone noticed the effects of the missiles hitting their target.

The power plant erupted in a massive fireball, instantly cutting electricity flow to almost every light in the complex and plunging it into darkness.

"Bravo team," Kaikiaichi transmitted, "cover us."

Calling to the Commandos with him, Riam led the charge out of the building. "Alpha, GO!"

Almost none of the NRA soldiers had any kind of Night Vision equipment, and their eyes had no way of immediately adjusting to the sudden switch to darkness.

Bravo Team's snipers were already targeting and terminating NRA soldiers posing the closest threats to the ICE group falling back from the bunker. Alpha's Commandos were dealing their own share of damage to the enemy forces as they ran, knowing that every able-bodied soldier in the camp would be hot on their heels as soon as their vision adjusted or the lights came back up.

All too quickly, the ICE commander's SMG clip was empty and he switched to his final ammo clip, also tossing his last pistol magazine to Sarah as she ran beside him. The other Commandos were equally low on ammo; they wouldn't last long in any kind of serious firefight.

The ICE Team members felt a little relief when they left the open Parade Ground area and entered the more protective environment of the alleyways between the small buildings near the museum.

A few small patrols challenged the group as they ran though the alleys towards the museum building, but were no match for the Night Vision-equipped Commandos.

Passing the museum entrance, Riam dashed around the corner of the building to secure the exit gate for Bravo Team's withdrawal. As soon as he turned the corner, he came face-to-face with a large squad of NRA troops, all armed and prepared to defend the gate.

Kaikiaichi caught a bullet in the vest before he could get back around the corner. The extremely light and flexible tactical vest was made of a tough material that would stop rounds fired from the majority of standard battlefield firearms. The protection would stop penetration and absorb a lot of the impact, but the bullet could still bruise and wind anyone hit by it.

The Australian needed to pause to take a deep breath before continuing, dashing up the front stairs of the museum and inside the door.

"Barricade the door!" The ISO General ordered his ICE Team, "Use anything you can find!"

As they hurried to carry out his orders, Kaikiaichi called up to Bravo Team, still in their sniping position upstairs.

"Bravo Team," he shouted up to them, "fall back down here, there's nothing more you can do from there."

Bravo Team acknowledged and headed back down the stairs to the main group.

Switching on his transmitter, the ICE commander hailed the Tama crew.

"ICE Alpha to Tama pilot, requesting immediate emergency evac from the museum. Extraction zone is hostile, so exercise caution. Come in fast, and go out faster."

"Roger that, Alpha," the Tama pilot replied, "lifting off immediately, we're inbound!"

"Our extraction point is via a large glass skylight in the museum roof," the ISO General continued, "you'll need to take it out with low-yield rockets then drop down the descent ropes We'll be breaking the rules and using it for ascent instead,"

The skylight in question was a large ornate glass dome in the middle of the ceiling. It was a work of art in itself, and it was a real shame it needed to be destroyed to get the team out in one piece.

Kaikiaichi cut the transmission to the Mecha-Tama, and called out a command to his ICE Team.

"Everyone," the General ordered, "clear away from the centre of the room! That skylight, like many things in this museum, is going to be history!"

The Tama should arrive in under a minute, but the team had a short moment to catch a breather.

Sarah had noticed when Riam had been struck by the bullet, and now took the time to approach her old companion.

"Hey," the blonde woman asked with concern, "how's that bullet hit?"

"It's fine," the Kaikiaichi assured her, "the vest took care of it."

"I didn't think the vest was that thick," MacDougal commented, "must be some darn good workmanship in it."

"Aye," Riam agreed, "the very best."

There was no time for further conversation, as a guided rocket set for a low-yield blast annihilated the skylight, sending glass and metal crashing to the floor. The dark shadow of the Mecha-Tame swooped down and hovered directly above the newly created egress point. The round portal on the underside of the craft irised open, and a winch dropped down a rope intended for rapid insertions rather than extractions.

"Commandos!" Riam shouted as the barricades at the door began to give way, "We are leaving!"

Hanks and Collins were the first two up the rope, not because they were afraid of sticking around in the museum, but because they were the strongest of the regular Commandos. They would be able to help the others up into the craft as they arrived.

Riam always insisted on being the last inside, as his natural flight ability could help him out in a pinch.

Just as Kaikiaichi was about to order MacDougal up into the Tama, the archaeologist grabbed his arm.

"Riam," she called excitedly, "over there! Those two books are one of the reasons I was here to begin with! They are absolutely unique and irreplaceable, we need to get them out of here!"

Glancing in the direction indicated, the Australian saw two huge dusty tomes on a display case. It would be impossible for anybody to scale the rope while holding one.

"We can't," he told Sarah. "There's no way we could carry them up!"

"Sure there is," the blonde woman assured him, "I stashed two large backpacks in here before those NRA Neanderthals caught me. They'll each fit one of the books, so gimme a hand with it."

Proving her statement, MacDougal pulled two massive backpacks from under some generic display case.

Gritting his teeth, and knowing that arguing with Sarah was futile, he clicked open a communications channel to the Mecha-Tama. By this time, all of the other Commandos were inside.

"Stand by, Tama," the General ordered, "hold position. We'll need a second longer."

Riam walked over to where the stubborn archaeologist was packing one of the tomes into a backpack. The ICE commander started to cram the other book into the second backpack when a reply came through from the Tama pilot.

"Make it snappy Sir," the voice sounded stressed, "we're taking some arms fire, and some anti-tank gear is on its way. They'll be in range of us soon."

Both Riam and Sarah had the books in the backpacks now, and the backpacks were over their shoulders. Wasting no more time, Riam dashed to the rope and leapt onto it, scrambling upwards as Sarah grabbed on behind him.

Time was of the essence, and as soon as he was sure Sarah was holding tightly enough, the ICE commander signalled the pilot again.

"We're on the rope!" he shouted, "take us up and get us out of here now!"

The pilot didn't bother to reply, blasting the craft straight up into the sky enough for the rope to clear the museum skylight, then punched the engines as fast as he dared with the two people still holding tightly to the rope.

One of the other limitations of Riam's flying abilities was weight – He couldn't fly carrying or wearing anything overly heavy. With the massive book on his back, he couldn't use his power to aid himself climbing the rope, as he often did. If he happened to fall with the book still strapped to his back he might be able to guide his descent and cushion the impact a little, but that would be the limit.

Behind the escaping Mecha-Tama, an NRA soldier launched an RPG in their direction.

The effort was futile now, they were well out of range, but another second of hovering over the museum might have spelled the end of the advanced stealth craft. The ISO General wasn't sure how much armour Suu had supplied the vehicle with, but he seriously did not want to field test the amount of damage it could take.

The pilot of the Mecha-Tama slowed the craft substantially, allowing Kaikiaichi and MacDougal to continue the climb upwards. As soon as Riam was inside, he turned and reached down to help Sarah up through the portal.

Hanks was standing by the winch and portal controls, retracting the final short section of rope, and closing the circular opening.

In the cockpit, the pilot was keeping his eye on an orange light indicating that the portal was open. As soon as the light blinked off, the experienced ISO flight officer took the Mecha-Tama to full speed.

The blonde archaeologist dumped her backpack carefully on the floor, then assisted her Australian companion with removing the backpack he was wearing.

The large backpacks containing the heavy tomes attracted curious looks from the ICE Team, but they were all too busy winding down from the mission to bother with questions.

Riam and Sarah moved to an unoccupied pair of seats and practically fell down into them. Both closed their eyes and leant back, breathing heavily and calming their nerves as they came down from the adrenaline rush.

Both of them loved the thrill of the adventure and the narrows escape. They'd found themselves in the same situations hundreds of times before, so regularly that it was almost second nature to them.

It had been too dark for Sarah to see the outline of the aircraft she had climbed up into, and she'd been too busy to really bother thinking about it.

If she had of known it was a turtle-shaped vehicle in which she now rested, then she may have had some suspicions about the creator of the craft…

__

SASA Headquarters, 07:03

The pilot set the Mecha-Tama down on one of the exterior landing pads, instead of the internal mountain landing bays. As the engines powered down, the gullwing doors on either side of the shell swung open, letting the bright early morning sunshine into the previously darkened cabin

Riam yawned and stretched, blinking tiredly. Yawning again, he addressed the Commandos seated in the craft.

"Alright," he began with another yawn, "I know it's lazy of me… But bugger the debriefing, I'm ready to drop. We'll handle the debrief tomorrow or somesuch. Dismissed."

The ISO General yawned again as the equally tired ICE Team wandered out.

Glancing over at Sarah in the seat next to him, Riam nudged her a little. The normally active woman mustn't have gotten much sleep in the NRA holding cell, as the blonde archaeologist had dozed off on the flight home

It didn't take much to wake her though, the single nudge had her eyes open in seconds. She climbed somewhat unsteadily to her feet, still partially asleep. Riam himself wasn't rock-steady either.

Walking next to each other, the two tired companions were about halfway to the mountain entrance when a flying blur slammed into Riam's chest and bowled him over onto his back.

Kaolla Suu had appeared to come from literally thin air, and was now sitting on her Champion's chest grinning down at him. "Gooood mornin'!" the energetic Goddess greeted the prone Australian in her usual style.

"Good morning, Lady Suu," Kaikiaichi smiled back warmly, "I am pleased to report that the mission was a success."

"Yay!" Kaolla exclaimed, jumping off Riam's chest and backflipping to her feet. "Let's have bananas to celebrate!"

The dedicated SASA General had a suspicion that his Goddess would also celebrate with bananas in the event of a total failure. He had never tested that theory to date.

Behind where Suu stood, Sarah had been rubbing her eyes to make sure she was awake. When she finally determined that she was, in fact, awake, she gasped.

Hearing the gasp Kaolla turned to face the new arrival. When she did so, her green eyes opened wide.

"Kaolla?" MacDougal asked slowly, hardly believing it was true, "is that really you?"

"Sarah!" Suu squealed in delight, "Long time no see!"

Meanwhile, Kaikiaichi had stood up and dusted himself off. Taking note of Kaolla and Sarah's meeting, he blinked.

"Uh," the Australian asked rather redundantly, "you two know each other?"

Sarah looked at Riam, then back to Kaolla. "Wait," the archaeologist asked, "you mean _you two_ know each other?!"  
"Wow," giggled the tan-skinned genius, "I guess you two have met as well then!"

The three spent a moment just looking back and forth between themselves. Then MacDougal looked directly at Kaikiaichi.

"Alright buster," she told him, "you have some explaining to do."

"Well," Riam began, "it must have been the day after I, uh… left you and your father."

The Australian winced, and Sarah scowled at the memory of her companion's departure.

"I was travelling towards Colorado Springs," he continued, "having heard rumours of two powerful Goddesses there. There were also tales of robotic armies and miracle cures from the city…"

__

Flashback: Outer ruins of Colorado Springs, 07:17

Riam strode amongst the ruins, breathing slightly heavier than normal. He'd travelled all nightto arrive at this point, and was still another hour or so away from where he expected to encounter the main camp of these people.

In his hand he carried a sheathed weapon, a straight-bladed Chinese sword known as a Jian. The sword was a legendary blade that had been gifted to Riam by Seta. The Japanese archaeologist had discovered the sword in China just after the Cataclysm had struck, where the weapon had lain hidden for hundreds of years. Myths surrounding the blade referred to it as the Green Destiny.

Since leaving his two companions, the Australian hadn't encountered another living person, the land around him silent save for the omnipresent background sounds of normal insect, bird, and animal activity. The early morning sunshine shone from low in a blue sky, warming the ground below as the last few tendrils of the night's mist faded from sight.

The suburban ruins he was walking through were composed of old rotting wood and torn rusting metal, as well as fallen brick constructions littering the area with rubble. Isolated sections of old walls, varying in size, remained standing and began to obscure his vision. Riam's hearing, somehow enhanced since the Cataclysm, began to detect the unmistakable noises of human activity somewhere ahead of him. The standing walls not only blocked his sight, but also confused the direction and distance of the sounds he was hearing.

Kaikiaichi couldn't tell if the people were hundreds of metres away or right next to him. Nor could he determine whether they were in front of him or behind him. The only thing he was certain of was that they _were_ out there, somewhere.

Riam discovered the location of some of the sounds a few seconds later, as two brawny-looking individuals dashed from behind a tall pile of rubble and slammed into him, sending him crashing down to the ground. Both of the newcomers were clad in camouflaged uniforms, and from their arrival they looked as if they had been running from something.

One with close-cropped red hair was standing quite close to the downed Australian, a homemade sword gripped in his hands.

The second had medium length-light brown hair and was just a little further away, holding a double-barrelled shotgun.

Whoever or whatever the two had been running from appeared to have been forgotten as they turned to Riam. The man armed with the sword lifted the blade above his head and began to swing it towards Kaikiaichi in a downward arc.

Riam desperately raised his own weapon to block the incoming strike, managing to deflect the attack using the side of his blade.

The darkhaired Australian, while still on the ground, wasted no time to counterattack and swept his Jian towards his opponent's lower torso.

The soldier sidestepped and moved his homemade weapon to intercept the vigilante's swing. The two swords struck each other head-on, sparks flying as the Green Destiny sliced right through the aggressor's steel blade.

Fear and surprise registered on the redhead's face, before a legsweep from Kaikiaichi sent him crashing to the ground.

Riam flipped to his feet and spun towards the man armed with the shotgun… only to find the barrel of the aforementioned weapon staring him point-blank in the face.

"Drop the sword!" the brown-haired man shouted demandingly.

The Australian slowly lowered the sword, his hand reluctant to release its grip on the legendary weapon.

"Drop it!" the shotgun-toting individual demanded again.

Riam's fingers slowly opened, releasing the hilt of the Jian. The Green Destiny fell to the ground, a small cloud of dust rising up about it as it landed.

"Good, now kick it away," called the soldier, his features changing to a victorious smirk.

Kaikiaichi did as he was requested, using the side of his right foot to propel the blade two metres away. "Okay," began the still-smirking captor, "lie face down on the…"

The soldier was interrupted as a small silver shape flashed out from behind a nearby ruined wall and spat a fireball towards him. The camouflaged man leapt behind cover as the fireball detonated besides him.

Riam himself dived to the right, executed a commando-roll and came to his feet with the Green Destiny once again in his hands. The Australian spun towards the fireball-shooting silver shape with his sword in attack position. As he caught sight of the object though, his jaw dropped.

A metal turtle hovered in the air, continuing to fire blasts at the soldiers. Both of Riam's previous opponents had recovered, and were retreating behind what cover they could find.

Apparently, the turtle seemed satisfied that it had succeeded in discouraging the men from further intrusions and it turned towards Kaikiaichi.

The vigilante tensed, but instead of attacking him with fireballs the mechanical creature hovered slowly towards him, moving in a non-threatening manner. Riam stood his ground, barely moving as the turtle moved closer and closer to him, before finally settling down on his head.

The Australian began to reach up to touch the turtle, but before he could do so a tan-skinned blur hurtled towards him out of nowhere. Before he could react, Kaikiaichi found it perched on his shoulders with a pair of legs locked around his neck.

Riam slowly tilted his head backwards, finding an energetically grinning face and sparkling green eyes looking down towards him.

"You found my Mecha-Tama!" Kaolla Suu exclaimed happily.

Acrobatically flipping herself off and away from Kaikiaichi's shoulders, the foreign girl landed lightly in front of her newfound 'friend'.

The new arrival appeared to be in her mid-teens with platinum blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Quite oddly, she was clothed in a Japanese schoolgirl's uniform that seemed very out-of-place in the ruined city.

"Hi there," she introduced herself with a smile, "I'm Suu, who're you?"

"My name is Riam Kaikiaichi," the Australian replied, "I'm a member of an archaeological…" the dark-haired man paused a moment, then continued. "Wait, no I'm not. I'm a wandering vigilante."

"Vigilante?" the girl asked, beginning to drool, "is that food? Is it yummy? Can I have some?"

"Ah, not quite…" Kaikiaichi scratched his head. "I am a self-proclaimed agent of justice. I have made it my duty and my mission to protect the innocent and defeat evil in all forms, wherever I find it."

"Aw," Suu pouted, "well do ya have any food?"

"I have a little," Riam apologised, "but it's rather rough fare. You are welcome to share some if you wish."

"Sure," exclaimed the energetic girl, "rough fare sound like fancy food!"

"Not quite," the Australian pulled a package of rations from a pouch around his waist, "mostly dried fruit and salted meat, I'm afraid."

Opening the wrappings around the food, he offered the selection to Kaolla.

Not seeming to mind the crudity of the meal, she gobbled it up heartily. After polishing off most of Kaikiaichi's supplies, Suu decided she'd had enough.

"So," the platinum blonde asked as she perched herself on a pile of rubble, "what're you doin' here?"

"I cam seeking rumoured mechanical creatures," the vigilante stated wryly, glancing at the Mecha-Tama which was no hovering itself around Kaolla's head. "It seems I have located one of them. You said this was yours?"

"Yep," the inventive teen nodded enthusiastically, "this is the prototype for my latest series of Mecha-Tamas!"

"You must be quite skilled," Riam commented, "it seems to be highly advanced technology."

"That's right, I'm a genius!" Suu boasted rather immodestly.

"I'm curious," the Australian questioned, "who were those men being chased by the Tama?"

"Oh," Kaolla shrugged, "they're just spoilsports who work for some guy called Magneto. He's trying to invade us apparently."

"Magneto, eh?" Kaikiaichi raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like someone's an _X-Men_ fan. Have they been having much luck with this invasion?"

"Not at all," the tan-skinned girl grinned, "but they keep trying. A lot of them came today, so they're helping me test my new Mecha-Tama!"

"Convenient guinea pigs," the Australian smiled, "are there many of these guys left?"

"Most of them ran off when my Mecha-Tama started playing with them," Suu explained, "but there's one more group still around. Wanna go play with 'em?"

"Sounds like fun," Riam climbed to his feet, returning the Green Destiny to its scabbard, "lead the way!"

Several minutes later, Suu had led the vigilante to a more open area of the ruins.

There was indeed a sizeable team of uniformed soldiers there, cautiously moving forward towards the Colorado Springs city centre.

Kaolla and Riam were standing somewhat behind the Magneto troops, and the squad had yet to catch sight of the pair.

The Mecha-Tama was perched on the shoulder of its inventor, the head moving to track a target as it locked on to the enemy.

"Tell me," the curious Australian asked the teen, "how does the Tama determine hostile targets from allies?"

"I have programmed it with advanced AIIFF routines," she replied proudly.

Riam took a guess at the meaning of the acronym. "Artificially Intelligent Identification of Friend or Foe?"

"That's right," Kaolla congratulated him, "good work!" Turning her head slightly to address the Mecha-Tama on her shoulder, Suu gave a command. "Tama attack mode! Acquire hostile target and go get 'em!"

Upon receiving the directive, the turtle-shaped machine flew off the girl's shoulder and sped towards the group of soldiers.

''

****

The saga rolls on...

NEXT TIME: JACCCKKKKK!!! ARRGHHHH!!!


	20. All I Need

The Love Hina Fanboy War: The Bonds of Time

Love Hina by Ken Akamatsu

Original story by Kanako Himezaki-Urashima

Story by various authors, such as Andrew J. Talon, Kebinu, Lance Waymire, and the like

This chapter written by Tuxedo Jack and Andrew J. Talon

Warning: If the asterisks in this part are not visible, please go

read the text-formatted version at

had apparently decided to ban asterisks in new stories, and as

asterisks are a critical part of my scene changes, I refuse to

upload to FFN any more. Screw 'em.

Talon's Note: Accepting Jack's generous offer, I have decided to begin hosting this story on **, in case decides to ban the story for one reason or another.**

In light of how much effort and time Jack has put into this magnificent final chapter, we're keeping his standard writing format.

OH! And any and all authors who were involved in the Love Hina Fanboy War, go to , the forums! You have a chance to determine the path and write yourself into the next part of the LHFBW series, "The Light of Evil!" Any and all authors of the LH section are welcome to join in and help brainstorm. This is your hour! Let it shine!

But, to keep up the tradition, roll 'em…

The looming mass of Cheyenne Mountain had been the nerve center of the

United States military command for nearly fifty years. With access to any

satellite system or communications network on Earth, and control of every

one of the ICBMs employed by the SAC, it was easily the closest thing to

being God to be in command of this base.

Kana Himekazi looked upon the mountain with his traditional expression:

Disinterest. His cold, hard eyes watched the morning activities of the

creatures inhabiting the mountain, the sun rising slowly behind him.

"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH-" Kana whipped his hand around and caught his attacker in

the jaw, sending the hapless man flying back into a tree. Kana stared after

him, as the soldier struggled to get back to his feet.

"Once again, you have failed to rid yourself of your irritating habit of

yelling," Kana intoned. "You do not learn."

"I'd think that a 'better this time', would have been appropriate,"

the soldier panted, wiping some blood from his lip.

Kana raised an eyebrow. "I would note improvement if there was any."

"In which case, I suppose you'll never note anything," he replied, glaring

at Kana. Kana stared back. A tiny part of his black soul stirred. Kana attempted

to ignore it, but...

"... On the other hand, you did manage to adjust your flight from my fist.

Anyone else would have been killed. It is... An improvement." The soldier's

eyes widened, before smiling wryly.

"Have I lived to hear you compliment someone, Lord Kana?"

"You will not hear it again," Kana replied coldly, turning away. Other

troops nearby were sparring with each other, training in various forms of

hand-to-hand combat. No one dared to stop under the hard gaze of Kana. Kana

snorted. He'd only taken this duty because Shinobu had pleaded and begged

for him to do something other than slaughter hapless travelers and terrorize

the villages with his skeleton minions.

FWOOSH... FWOOSH.... FWOOSH...

Kana looked up. The daily launches of reconnaissance Mecha-Tamas had begun,

dozens of them flying from the peak of Cheyenne Mountain and dispersing themselves,

heading along all axes of the compass rose.

"I really do love to see that," said a grinning voice off to his side. Kana did

not move, continuing to watch the troops, as Tuxedo Jack stepped to Kana's flank.

"..."

"Boy, some morning, hm?"

"Like any other," Kana drawled. Jack rolled his eyes.

"You know, in all the time I've been here, I've never seen you look

anything other than pissed off."

"My facial expressions are irrelevant."

"It's not so much the expressions I'm concerned about," Jack replied,

"but the feelings behind them."

"Emotions are for the weak."

"Feh. Everyone has emotions," Jack snorted. "Some people just tend to

ignore them."

"Was there a point to you coming out here?" Jack grinned. Aha, thought

he, a soft spot if any.

Rather than pursuing the perceived weakness, Jack decided to reply.

"Shinobu would like to talk with you, and I'm the messenger boy."

"Hm..."

"That's it? No scathing remark? No quip?"

"If you'd like one, I can provide it," said Kana, turning and walking

towards the main gate. Jack smirked to himself, his arms crossing over his

chest.

"And I thought that coldhearted bastard didn't have a sense of humor..." the

man in the tuxedo said, chuckling and following Kana into the mountain.

With a muted roar, the first Mecha-tama patrol of the day took off out of the

South Portal of Cheyenne Mountain, and Su grinned.

"Wai! Mecha-tamas four fifty through four fifty-three, go!"

Su turned and headed back inside after they made their first lap around Colorado

Springs, and as she entered the base, Riam passed her a legal pad filled with

statistics and diagrams.

"We think this diagram should work for the new fiber-optic lines. The ones that

the U.S. government had laid are far too thin to support the dataflow we need, as

you said. Can we somehow get a supply of fiberglass and refractive materials for

the coating?"

Su nodded, and with a flick of her fingers, a large amount of nearby sand flew

together to form a large ball. Su's hand clenched into a fist, and the earthen

materials compressed, giving off a searing heat - and when she released her hand

and shook her fingers, small cables of glass tinkled to the ground.

"Will that work?"

Riam nodded and called over some nearby sergeants to gather the materials up.

Su continued inside, her manic grin and hyperactive personality as truly in

force as ever.

Jack stopped at a set of double doors (reinforced steel with a stylistic "S" painted

on them) and tapped an access code into the panel set into the wall. The doors opened,

and the two men stepped through them into the cavernous room that once served as

NORAD's command center.

They moved down the path to Shinobu and Su's thrones, just in time to hear Shinobu's

startled "She did what?"

Shinobu sat bolt upright in her throne in the command room, her eyes widening, as the

lieutenant in front of her continued.

"The information is correct, Lady Shinobu," the lieutenant said, kneeling in front of her. "Naru

has sent a diplomatic delegation to the Otohime Union. It consists of a single jet, which,

according to the spy satellites, held under ten people. We don't know who the delegation

consists of, but from the infrared band imaging, we could detect a being with increased

body heat on the craft."

"That will be all, Lieutenant," Shinobu said, and the man bowed, clicked his heels against

the flooring, and left.

"Now the million-dollar question is 'what are they up to?'" Jack said, frowning as

he walked up in front of her.

"Naru-senpai and Mutsumi-san never were that friendly towards each other back when we

lived at Hinata-sou," Shinobu said. "Ano, I mean that Mutsumi-san was friendly towards

Naru-senpai but Naru-senpai didn't like that she was involved with Urashima-senpai for

a while."

"But a diplomatic delegation?" Kana's expression was more cynical than usual, even for

him. "She calls herself the 'Evil Empress' for a reason, milady."

"Aauuu, that's true," Shinobu fretted. "But I'm sure that Naru-senpai was just joking

when she named herself that!"

Jack shook his head. "Ma'am, if there's one thing I learned back when I lived in Texas,

it was that there was no enemy worth underestimating, and to do so was to pretty much

get yourself killed or removed from the field."

"As I'm more than certain you've found out at least once in your time, milady," Kana

said, his voice practically dripping sarcasm.

"Find out why they went and sent a delegation," Shinobu said, leaning back into her

throne's padding. "Naru-senpai's doing something, I'm sure of it."

Kana turned to leave, and Shinobu spoke again. "Jack, go ahead. I need to talk to

Kana for a minute."

"Wait in the hallway," Kana muttered. "You and I need to talk."

Jack nodded before slipping through the door, which slid shut with a boom behind

him. "Recon, recon, always recon," he muttered before the doors shut.

Kana stood before Shinobu and waited with his customary frown. "What is your wish,

milady? I am neither death nor devil, but merely your servant."

Shinobu shook slightly at that before composing herself. "Something happened to our

last Tama-scout patrol over Texas. It met the Otohime Union's patrol near a ruined

city that apparently was once called Houston, they communicated, flew together

for a while, then blanked out."

"You want to find out what happened to it."

"Yes, Kana," Shinobu nodded. "You'll also find a set of orders on your desk.

Follow them."

Kana nodded, then turned and left, the heels of his boots clicking against the floor,

and the doors slammed shut after him. He turned to see Jack leaning against the wall

to the left of the doors.

"So, what did she want?"

"You need not concern yourself about me," Kana said, walking down the hall. "She is

worried. You will assuage that worry by examining Texas for her. Specifically, the area

where Houston used to be. I would suggest you use the satellites. It will make the

job significantly faster."

"Houston? The hell is in Houston?" Jack frowned. "The only thing that was ever

there was my old house. That, and a few places that really hated people like us."

"I did not issue the order. Shinobu did. Deal with it." Kana stalked down the hall,

his presence silent, but obviously malevolent.

Jack walked down the corridor, a frown upon his face. Something's bothering her.

It's something big, whatever it is. I'll task the spy satellites to take a look over

Texas. Su-san won't mind my use of them, Jack thought.

He grimaced. I hope she won't mind. I remember what she did the last time I borrowed

the satellites without her permission. He shook at the vaguely disturbing memory, and

then continued on his way to the control room.

Kana smirked before pulling a can of bug spray out of his pocket. He sprayed a nearby

moth, and it fell to the ground, lifeless. With a wave of his hand, the bug arose, fluttered

into the air, and hovered three feet in front of Kana. It flitted about for a second, then

flew off after Jack.

Kana continued on his way with an aura of calm smugness until he reached his office.

He went in, immediately noting an envelope on his desk bearing Shinobu's seal. He opened

it, read through the lines, raising his eyebrows about halfway through.

"Really, now," Kana drawled, sinking into the chair in his office. "Shinobu-sama

has such... interesting... ideas," he whispered as he continued reading the orders.

"Find Urashima? Even a child could do that. I'll not deign to do this myself.

Let that overdressed fop deal with it." He flipped it back onto his desk and smirked.

"Besides, I have other plans." He closed his eyes and let the corners of his mouth

curl up into a cold, cruel smirk.

"And so, Talon - may I call you Talon? - that's Naru's proposal to open up

trade between our two groups." Kebinu waved his hand over a table of documents that

he'd set up in front of Talon at the Pentagon.

"There's no mention of tariffs or reciprocal trade agreements," Talon said with a touch

of suspicion in his voice.

Kebinu shrugged. "We'll let the diplomats handle that. I'm just the messenger."

"Indeed," Talon replied. He stood and stretched. "I think we should call it a day.

These negotiations are tiring."

"I'll drink to that," Kebinu said, rising from his seat. "You have anywhere I can

sleep here? I'd hate to have to sleep in the jet. The seats really hurt my back."

Talon nodded. "I'll have the people here show you to a spare room." He rose, and

Lucia followed him.

Kebinu, meanwhile, was led to a room by two of Talon's soldiers. Each was armed,

and while Kebinu knew he could take them out, he'd rather not jeopardize his

mission - finding Keitaro.

He stepped through an open door, and found his room to be comfortable, if not

luxurious. The door slid shut behind him, and he quickly looked around to see if

anyone had placed a spy camera or two where he could find them. He knew they were

there. He just wanted to be able to counter them.

Not finding any, he sighed and flopped down on the bed.

_Finding that boy is going to be harder than I thought_, Kebinu thought to himself.

_Not only is he hidden here, but I've got surveillance all over me._ He shrugged.

_I'll dig him up in the morning._

Kebinu rolled over and went to sleep.

"Jikei, do you think he's telling the truth?"

Lucia and Talon walked down the hallway, their heels clicking against the cold

stone floor.

"He's full of himself," Talon muttered. "He's conceited, powerful, and he's got

some ulterior motive."

"The question is, what is it?"

Talon stopped by his bedroom and opened the door. "I'll see you in the morning,

Lucia."

Lucia smirked. "Night, jikei."

He entered, and the door slid shut behind him.

Jack tapped his access code in on the panel guarding a control room deep

in the mountain's core, and the door opened with a soft hiss.

Very few people knew about this room, and even fewer actually used it.

At the moment, no one was attending its myriad of consoles, but there was

a smoldering cigarette that indicated someone had just stepped out sitting

in an ashtray near a cup of coffee (warm, Jack noted as he lifted it. The

monitor hadn't left long ago).

He stepped up to a console and sat down in the swivel chair in front of it.

As one of his hands tapped in his passcode on the keyboard in front of him,

a moth landed on the keyboard's edge. He made no move to shoo it away before

continuing onwards.

Its antennae twitched slightly.

Jack continued through his work with the ancient UNIX derivative that powered

the mountain's mainframe systems - and their spy satellites. Admittedly, it

was at least near the Linux systems he'd used before the Cataclysm, but

only so long could go before you lost your memories.

He snorted at that thought. "Memories. They're worth quite a bit to the

right people."

He paged through the day's log files, then the log file of the Tama-patrol that

seemed to have been shot down - but how, he muttered. One man with no visible

weapon... of course, that EM spike could have done it, but it would have taken

out our satellites if it was that powerful.

With a tap on a set of keys, he retargeted a drifting U.S. KH-11 satellite to

shoot a series of pictures at and around the city jail in downtown Houston.

The satellite wouldn't pass over the area for a few hours. Jack stood up from

his chair, stretched, and met the cadet on duty on his way out. The cadet saluted,

then smirked. "Sir, will we be discussing the current state of readiness in regards

to the proximity of Naru's Empire tomorrow in class?"

"No, I won't be here tomorrow. I'm taking a little trip," Jack said, sighing.

Why he'd ever agreed to teach a group of cadets - admittedly, the cream of the

SASA crop, but still kids - how to use the remaining computers and technology

was beyond him. He guessed it was because he'd been half-bombed at the time.

Night descended over the Western Hemisphere with a soft creeping that only

time and master thieves excel at.

Most people fell asleep and ran through their endless dreams; Jack was no

exception, and once again, he dreamt endlessly of the people he had killed,

tossing and turning in his sleep.

Kana, however, did take exception to that rule.

He stood up from his lotus position on the floor, then reached over to his

katana. "Let it begin."

A soft click signified that Kana had left his room, and he slipped down the

hall with a fluidity that rivaled that of liquid shadow. Guards were no problem;

those he could evade, he did; those he couldn't - he knocked them out.

He didn't need to kill. Not yet.

Although he would kill them if they failed to protect Shinobu.

He continued through the empty halls of Cheyenne Mountain, his pace quick

and sure, and a short time later, he entered the satellite control room.

Kana stood for a second, then beckoned to the moth that sat quivering on

the console's top. "Show me."

The moth took off from its perch, and with a flutter, it started to land

on the keyboard in front of the terminal. Kana smirked and tapped each key

that the moth landed on.

"Kurikaesu... odd password." Kana straightened up, then nodded at the moth.

"Good." He brought his hand down on it hard. The necromancer wiped his hand

on the terminal's edge, then set to work retargeting the spy satellites.

"Oh, this is perfect," he said, spotting something on the most recent group of

photographs sitting next to the terminal. Kana tapped in the coordinates on the

photograph into the computer, and sure enough, his target was stationary. He

retasked the satellite array to keep a watch on them.

He'd need them when the trouble began.

Kebinu wasn't exactly resting, either.

He'd slipped out of his room via an air duct and had managed to gain access

to the Pentagon proper. He'd wandered the venerable base for a few hours, not

knowing what was where, and eventually, he'd come across a map.

Kebinu walked down one of the side corridors, one that led to the guest quarters.

He didn't know what that had been turned into, given the circumstances, but he'd find

out soon enough.

He reached the front door, and surprisingly, it was devoid of guards. He turned

the knob.

Behind the door, Mutsumi moaned softly and squirmed under Keitaro's caresses.

"Ara, Kei-kun..."

With a barely audible click, the door opened, and Kebinu stepped inside. He had

but a second to catch a glimpse of Mutsumi and Keitaro before he blinked.

Keitaro took that second to look around, having heard the click of the lock.

"Who are you?" he said, catching sight of Kebinu.

"Ara ara, Kei-kun, how can you forget who I am?" Mutsumi said, pouting cutely

on top of him.

"Not you, Mutsumi-san, him," Keitaro replied, pulling one of his hands away

and pointing towards Kebinu. "There's a man there."

"Really?" Mutsumi said thoughtfully. "Oh, yes, there he is, and he's a live one,

too. He's a little embarrassed, though, since we found him." She smiled winningly

and pulled some of the sheets around her, covering her with a modicum of decency.

"It's all right, come on out." Just to add to the bait, she muttered "threesome,"

to Keitaro, whose face went beet-red at that, and she giggled.

Kebinu's face was a fiery red as he stepped out from the shadows and into the

relatively brighter light of Mutsumi's bedchamber. He stared straight into her

eyes, then looked around...

And his face was suddenly lit with fury.

"YOU!"

Jack stepped into the Tama-transport with a group of his students and started the engines.

"Okay, kids, let's go. I haven't got all day here."

Shinobu and Kana stood off to the side of the vehicle. Su had gotten into the vehicle's

turret half an hour ago, and they couldn't get her out. Jack had shrugged and said that

she was more than welcome to come along if she wanted to.

"Nothing had better go wrong while I'm gone, Kana," Jack yelled over the rumbling of the

engine. "If even one thing dies, so help you God, I'll be furious."

"You do not command me, nor do you command death," Kana muttered. "If it dies, it will

not be my fault."

Shinobu shuddered, and she and Kana returned to the safety of Cheyenne Mountain.

Jack pulled the lever, and the transport started off along the straight road that served

as a runway for the small air fleet that the group possessed. "Okay, kiddies, welcome

to Reconnaissance one-oh-one. We're off the base for a week, and in this time,

you're going to learn to use our remaining night scopes and sniper sights to track

units and potential threats while we get some parts for our machines. Su-sama, you've

got the scopes readied?"

The demi-ruler of Colorado Springs leaned out of the turret, her head upside-down and

facing Jack. "Yep! We've got seven Starlight scopes, five scopes that use Zeiss lenses,

and twelve pretty, pretty Unertl thirty-ex sights! You can see for miles with these!"

She retreated into the turret, and for the next four hours, the riders in the vehicle

were semi-entertained by the slightly off-key sounds coming from the turret.

"And Su would walk five hundred miles..."

Jack groaned. It was going to be a long flight.

Kana glanced up and down the hallway where Jack's office was. With furtive movements,

he quickly moved down it, then stopped in front of Jack door. He produced two small

lockpicks from his pocket, then slipped them into the doorknob, and inside of forty-five

seconds, the lock clicked open. Kana stepped inside and shut the door behind him just

as he heard voices coming down the hall.

He clicked on the wall switch for the lights, and surprisingly, it didn't do anything.

Kana shrugged and felt his way around the room until he found a lamp, which he switched

on, and the room was bathed in a soft white glow.

"So this is what he's done to it," the man hissed. Admittedly, it was comfortable, but that

was about it in terms of ease. It had been turned into an information center - every last

outlet was filled with monitors and terminals and displays.

"Amazing. What secrets has he been keeping all this time?" He walked over to the desk,

sat down, and pressed the power button on what looked to be the primary terminal and its

monitor. When it didn't turn on, he frowned, then pushed it again, and it roared to life.

It then sat there and flashed a prompt on the screen.

_WELCOME TO TSUKIMI!_

This system is

running Linux.

Login: 

The prompt sat there and flashed at Kana. The man in Jack's chair, thought for a second,

then leaned forwards and began typing.

_WELCOME TO TSUKIMI!_

This system is

running Linux.

Login: tuxedojack

He hit Enter, and the system processed for a second, then spat up a new screen.

_WELCOME TO TSUKIMI!_

This system is

running Linux.

Login: tuxedojack

Pass: 

Kana typed "kurikaesu," Jack's password for the satellite controls, but Tsukimi balked.

_WELCOME TO TSUKIMI!_

This system is

running Linux.

Login: tuxedojack

Pass: 

Login/pass incorrect. Please try again.

Note: 2 more fails will trigger alarm.

Kana stared. An alarm? He is more clever than I thought. I had better get this right.

He typed in another word - "yume." He'd heard about Jack's nightmares from when he was

on his own.

_WELCOME TO TSUKIMI!_

This system is

running Linux.

Login: tuxedojack

Pass:

Login/pass incorrect. Please try again.

Note: 1 more fail will trigger alarm.

Tsukimi seemed to pause for a second, then a new line appeared under the others.

_Gotta ask yourself one question. Do I feel_

lucky? Well, do you, punk?

Kana's lip curled at that. He put his head in his hands and thought long and hard,

but couldn't come up with anything. He sighed and stood, then leaned forwards onto

the keyboard. "Why not? I can be long gone from here by the time the guards get here."

"Shi... no... bu..."

_WELCOME TO TSUKIMI!_

This system is

running Linux.

Login: tuxedojack

Pass:

Login accepted.

Welcome to Tsukimi. I'm running on kernel 2.4.26.

Please input your commands after I launch KDE.

Your last successful login was twenty-two hours

and fifteen minutes ago, sensei.

[tuxedojacktsukimi tuxedojack]$ 

Kana stared. "I take that back. He's not as clever as I took him for. He's an idiot.

An overdressed idiot." He sat down and began typing again.

"And what have we here?" Kana smiled as he came across the latest satellite photos that

the computers in the control room had uploaded to Tsukimi, and he flicked his eyes over

them in turn.

"Two drones being taken out by one man, and at that distance too? This bears investigating.

Perhaps I was too hasty to assign him that." As he clicked onto the next set of photographs,

a cruel grin broke out on his face.

"Perhaps I should take the men and women who try to learn from me out on a field trip

as well," he said, looking over a photograph of a group of Naru-Empire soldiers out

in the field with their APC and...

"My, my, my," Kana whispered. "Mortars and shells and rifles. This is beyond perfect."

All those soldiers, out there, dangerously close to SASA territory...

He stood up from the chair and logged off Tsukimi. He flipped the switch on the

terminal and the monitor, turning them off and supposedly erasing all traces

of the usage.

With naught but the quiet sound of his shoes on concrete, he stepped into the halls

and through them towards his place outside Shinobu's chamber, and a wicked grin

formed on his face as he took his seat near her door.

Yes, things were going to become very interesting soon, and not just for him.

It would have been slightly better for Kana, in retrospect, if he had noticed the

two small lenses on a rack of machines that pointed towards Jack's desk. They had

red lights under them, but they were camouflaged well enough.

Jack landed the transport on the ruined remains of Highway 6 at Interstate 10, just

south of their intersection outside Houston. "Okay, people, out of the vehicle, then

form ranks."

As the students got out, Su came out of the turret and landed in the passenger's

seat in the cabin. "Be careful, okay? There's something out there. I can feel it."

Jack nodded. "We won't be gone long - maybe a week or so. Come with us if you

want."

Su shook her head. "I'm staying here, y'know. There's so many fun things here for

Su to play with!"

"Suit yourself," Jack shrugged. He gestured to two of his students and pointed them

towards the transport. "Stay here and guard Su-sama. If she is in trouble, radio any of us

immediately. It doesn't matter who gets it - we'll be back as soon as we can."

He turned back to the rest of the group. "Okay, kiddies, we're here. Welcome to

Houston, the land of the fundamentalists and ruined buildings. Of course, that's just

like the rest of the world now. We've got a twofold mission here - we're going to

scout the area as our primary, and then we're looking for computer equipment that

still works. Three of our servers are dying, and we need replacement parts pronto."

Jack popped open a compartment on the side of the transport and grabbed a bolt-action rifle

from inside it. "This here is your standard field-issue sniper weapon - a Steyr Scout

rifle. It fires off point two-two-nine rounds as fast as you can pump them with enough

force to splatter heads against walls. Each team will be outfitted with two of these

as well as a Sig-Sauer nine-millimeter pistol and a hundred rounds of ammo for each weapon

on this expedition. Team leaders are armed with an M4-A1 assault rifle, firing five point

five-six rounds on a thirty-round clip. They'll have three of those to distribute, as well

as two hundred rounds of ammunition for each member."

He grabbed two small cylinders from the compartment as well. "Here we have two medium-power

hand grenades. These have a standard three-second fuse. Pull pin, hold for two, throw.

Simple." He grinned, then faked pulling the pin.

His students, to their credit, didn't flinch.

Jack sighed. "You kids are no fun. Anyways, the group leader for each group will have

five of these. Split them up as you see fit. If something goes wrong, use this." He

pointed a flare pistol downward. "It'll fire off a blue flare. We'll come for you as

soon as we can. Unless there's an attack on the transport or Su-sama - or you find something

big - maintain radio silence."

"You'll each get an SU-V from the transport. Use it to move around town and get back

as you need to with materials." Jack nodded, and Su opened the back of the transport to

reveal five compact-sized vehicles.

The students armed themselves, and Jack started dividing them up. "Group one, go take the

northwest section of town - I-10 and Clay to I-10 and loop six-ten west. Group two - take

the north side of loop six-ten. Get it all. Group three - take downtown and the tunnel

system. Groups four and five - take the east side of town. I-10 and six-ten east eastwards.

Divide it how you like. If you can find vehicles that work, negotiate for them or take them.

Same goes for fuel or supplies. Negotiations, as always, are preferable. You have your

target lists - if the buildings are still there, get what you can and get the hell out."

He shouldered his rifle and rolled up the map he held in his right hand. "Daniels, Nolan,

you're with me. We're going to take the southwest side of town."

"Move out in your SU-Vs, groups!"

"He's furious, Kei-kun," Mutsumi said, smiling at Kebinu. "Don't tell me why, let me

guess," she said to Kebinu, planting a finger on her mouth and pouting for a second.

"You were sent here ostensibly to open trade negotiations, but really to find

Kei-kun, ne?"

Caught in the obvious problem of lying to a telepath, the man just stood and stared

at Mutsumi. "You obviously know what I'm thinking, then, so I won't lie to you." He

turned to Keitaro. "But you, you rat bastard - she's been waiting for you for over

a goddamned century and here you are in that woman's arms."

Kebinu raised his hand and pointed straight at Mutsumi. "You don't know, Urashima -

you don't know how much my queen wanted you to go back to her. She missed you so much -

hell, she cried over you God only knows how many times. It's like she's tortured inside -

her goddamned house looks like that place you used to live with her - Hinata-sou!"

His hand fell, and tears came from his eyes. "You wouldn't believe the times I've walked

in on her looking down through some hole in the floor. The second I come in, she kicks

some boards and a goddamned plush squirrel over it, then she wipes her eyes - she was crying,

you stupid bastard! She told me that the hole was from her room to yours, and that

she'd go through it a lot to see you - just to see you! And now she's stuck looking on

an empty room and crying!"

Keitaro sat up straight and sputtered. "Now wait just a minute -

Kebinu narrowed his eyes and wiped the tears away angrily. "You shut the hell up. You made

her cry, you sick bastard. Even if she forgives you someday, I won't. You better remember that.

I don't give a shit if you go back to her, if she takes you back, if she cries over you coming

back to her - I still won't forgive you. You've scarred her, and scars don't heal. And mark

these words - if I see you again, and you hurt her again, I won't just yell at you like today."

Kebinu called forth a jet of flame. "I'll kill you." He turned and left, then shut the door behind

him. A few seconds later, the edges of the metal door glowed a bright red, then turned to black

again as they were melted and fused together into the frame.

Jack sighed.

Two days, and nothing at all seemed to be out here. Even the settlement of fundamentalists

had vanished.

"Sir," Daniels said from his side. The girl pointed to a nearby Shell station, one

that didn't seem to be completely ruined. "That may have fuel for the SU-V."

He shook his head. "Don't bother, private. I took the gas tank from that station over

a century ago. No stations within five miles have any gasoline any more. That's why

all our major vehicles have micro-reactors now - gasoline is that scarce."

Nolan grinned sadistically. "At least we don't have to pay two bucks a gallon any more,

sir!"

The three chuckled for a bit at that, then Jack stepped off the ruined road. "We're getting

close to where I used to live. Let's stop there for the night. At least I know that it's safe...

unless something got in."

They walked across fields with grass and weeds growing up to their waists with their pistols

drawn. Snakes weren't that common in Houston, but they'd been there, and no one wanted to

get bitten out in the bush. After about five minutes of walking from what once had been

Enclave, they found the old Sysco building.

It was grown over with ivy and weeds; birds roosted on the roof. Jack sighed. "I may have

been wrong. This may not be useful any more."

They entered, pistols drawn and at the ready, but nothing charged them.

After a minute of standing at the elevator lobby, Jack pointed. "A century of disuse

has to have ruined those things. Let's take the stairs."

A quick trip to each stairwell later, it was ascertained that they were all blocked thanks

to a few explosions and the remaining furniture blockades that he'd set ages ago.

The two students with him sighed, and Jack shrugged. "Whoops. Didn't think they'd last that

long. Well, there's another way up." He led them back to the elevators, then pried one open

with help from Nolan. A few seconds later, he aimed his pistol at the hatch in the roof and

fired a single round. The hatch shuddered, and he whacked at it with his rifle. It gave

way, and he clambered up, using the sides of the elevator for leverage. He pulled Nolan up,

then Daniels, and they set to climbing the ladder set into the walls.

A few minutes later, the door to the tenth floor was opened, and they stepped out into the

remains of Jack's home. Surprisingly, it was well-preserved - storms hadn't broken too many

windows, and the door was still intact.

Kebinu ran through the corridors of the Pentagon, seeking an exit - or at least a

wall that he could melt to get out of there. After a few miles of hallway, he found

a doorway - one guarded by three OU soldiers. With a quick burst of flame, he

melted their guns - fortunately for them, they dropped the guns before they were

melted into their hands.

They stared in astonishment as the firemaster streaked past them, then

one had the sense to reach over to a wall and slap an alarm button.

Alarms sounded throughout the complex, and Talon was up and on his feet in a

few moments. After girding himself with Greyspar and some shoes, he dashed

off, creating a wind shell around him. When he arrived at the Situation Room,

he found the operators there staring in panic at the alarm panel.

_That's right, sir, he just melted our guns and ran off_! the sentry said,

near tears.

Talon's eyes narrowed. "It was that Naru Empire emissary, right? Kebinu?"

_Yes, sir, it was him!_ the sentry replied.

"Don't worry. You didn't stand a chance against him anyways." Talon put his

hand to his chin and sighed. "Mobilize the troops at Reagan - we moved his

plane there, and he'll try to get out now that he's committed a hostile

act on enemy territory."

He turned, exited, then ran down the corridors as fast as he could, taking

the stairs every time it was necessary, then arrived at Mutsumi's bedroom.

When he knocked on the door, he saw the edges - fused. He pounded harder,

yelling all the while.

_Ara ara, Talon-kun, we're all right_, the voice inside his head came.

_I think you know who did this._

_It was Kebinu,_ he thought back. _He's on his way to his plane, I just_

_know it. What retribution can I take?_

_None_, Mutsumi replied. _He just wanted to know if Kei-kun was here, and_

_he saw that he was, so he left._

_But he'll tell Naru, and..._

_Ara ara, and what? She knows she can't fight against me, we're old friends!_

_I'm not as trusting, Mutsumi-sama. I'm going after him. His plane will have been secured by now, and I'm not letting anyone get hurt because of him._

_Ara... What if I ordered you not to?_

_You and I both know what would happen..._

Mutsumi sighed mentally. He could be so stubborn...

_Very well. But I'm sending Silver to help._

_I wouldn't ask for anything more. Thank you, Mutsumi-sama._

_Ara, you're welcome... But stop with the "-sama", please? It gets rather old, and older still when my friends call me it..._

__

"Ah?"

The half-insane man grinned violently before resuming his shaking in the corner of a ruined store

inside the Houston tunnel system's bowels.

"Visitors. No trespassers allowed. None shall pass!"

He stood up, then walked unsteadily towards an exit.

"This land is my land, this land's not your land..."

The five students who made up group three sighed as they entered the McKinney entrance to the

tunnel system, but held their rifles at the ready.

"Why'd Jack pick this place anyhow?" one of them said as they descended into the underdark

of downtown Houston.

"He said that there used to be access tunnels to each major building in this area through

here, and if the entrances at street level were blocked, we could get in through here,"

the team leader said as he stepped forwards. "According to the map on this wall... we are here...

and the Bank One Center is here... okay, then. We've got to walk for a bit, then we'll..."

He was cut off as one of his team pointed his rifle towards a nearby tunnel.

"I heard something!"

"You're bullshitting me. Nothing's down here but rats and snakes."

The woman shook her head. "I'm not joking! I heard singing! There's someone down here!"

The leader shrugged. "Whatever. We've got to get moving." He took the point, and the

group moved down another tunnel.

The woman aimed her gun as she took up the rear. "I know I heard singing."

Jack sighed as he walked through the ruins of his old home. "To think that

I'd once lived here..."

The people who came after him had wrecked the place throroughly. There wasn't

a single square meter of the room that hadn't been defaced in some manner, and

vines and plants grew everywhere in it.

"With all due respect, sir, damn," Daniels said, shaking her head.

"There's nothing here, sir," Nolan said, stepping out of what once had been the

server room in that office. "They took it all."

"Damn." Jack pounded his fist into his open palm. "Okay, then, we've got another

target nearby. It's getting kind of late, so let's stop off here for the night.

Or we can stay in the car."

Daniels and Nolan looked at each other worriedly, then pulled their weapons out.

"I'll stand guard first, sir," Nolan said, checking his weapon for jams.

A short time later, Daniels was asleep. Jack stood from his prone position

on the floor and stepped over to Nolan. "I'm going out for a bit. There's

something here I want to see. Stay here. I'll be back in about half an hour."

Nolan nodded, and Jack stepped out, then climbed down the elevator shaft. He

knew where he was going, even in the dark, and with the aid of a small flame

which he called forth, he made his way east through the ruins.

It was still there, after all those long years. His house - one wing of it,

at least - was still standing! He ran towards it, hoping against hope that

there was some indication that someone from his family had passed through it

in the previous years...

He stepped onto the now-moldy carpeting and looked around. Very few people

had gone in here - it still looked to be in good shape. He walked over to a

nearby door - the one which had led to his room - and tried to open it.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't open easily, which forced him to kick it open, and

when he did, what he saw surprised him - it was mostly intact, and the goods

that he'd had inside were mostly still usable.

He grabbed his ancient desktop computer (even though he doubted it still

functioned, what with a hundred years or so of elemental attacks; of course,

being inside his room with an airtight glass-and-metal case around it, it

should be fine), all the disks and CDs he could find, and anything that he

could find - books, DVDs, papers, anything. After Jack did that, he walked out

into the next room - and tears came to his eyes.

It had been his brother's room ages ago, and on what had once been the computer

desk was a yellowed envelope. It was addressed to him, and he opened it.

_"Hey, Jackass."_

Jack grinned. That was his brother, all right, always taking cheap shots

when he could get them.

_"I'm okay. Things aren't easy - it's sure hell out here since the big event._

Anyways, I'm working with a group of technologically advanced people. They're

paying me in room and board, and I can't really complain about that, since

there's not much to get as is. For once, what you taught me is coming in

handy - these guys lost a bunch of communications stuff, and their networks

run on an old UNIX derivative. Easy for me to run, hell for most.

Mom and Dad... they died a few years back. Dad died from some kind of disease -

I don't know what - and Mom went a few weeks later. No one knew what it was,

but I think it was a broken heart.

Nicole... I never heard from her. I don't think she made it through the

big blast. I tried getting to her cellphone a few times - a few hundred,

really - but I guess the repeater towers are dead.

How do I know you made it? Simple. You're too damn tough to die. Hell,

I used to do tons of stuff to the food and drink you ate and you didn't die

from it. You didn't even have a damn upset stomach - or if you did, you didn't

show it. You better be alive, or this letter's going to waste, and ink isn't

cheap these days.

I'm around what used to be Washington, DC. If you ever get to the area, try

to find me. I'll take you to lunch.

Michael"

It was dated ninety years previously.

Jack folded the letter and slipped it into his pocket, then looked around.

One family photo had survived the Cataclysm, and he grabbed that and looked

at it for a minute, then tossed it into his sack.

He closed the door on his brother's room, then exited the remains and started

back to the Sysco building, bundle of loot in tow.

_Ten minutes earlier..._

Group three ran through the tunnel system, lost and confused.

"Dammit, there was supposed to be a turn here that led into the

Downtown Loop!" the leader screamed in frustration. "Where the hell

are we?"

"I don't know, man, but I swear, something's following us," a nervous

private stammered out, his hands shaking on his rifle.

"I vote we get the hell out of here and try the street-level

entrance again," the woman who'd heard the singing said, and the

rest of the squad backed her up.

"All right, there's supposed to be an exit to street level here,"

the leader said, pointing to a map on the wall next to the ruins

of the logo for the Houston Center. "And according to the map...

we are... here." He stabbed his finger towards the star on the map,

and with a snort of surprise, he saw it.

"We're at the downtown loop. Dammit, I knew something was wrong."

"As you walk through the storm, hold your head up high..."

The woman looked around again. "Anyone here singing Christian

songs?"

The rest of the group shook their heads, and she checked the safety

on her rifle. "Then we've got someone following us."

A few seconds later, she dropped to her knees and aimed her rifle

towards a set of escalators that led up into the El Paso building.

"Who's there?"

"Lower your weapon, private!" the leader screamed.

"Sir, it's the same guy I heard earlier! He is most definitely

following us."

The other members of the group drew their weapons and started

searching the tunnel near them for threats just before a single

man in black robes came down the escalators.

His pace was slow, delicate - almost as if he'd been wounded,

but it carried a manner of focus rarely seen outside of high-ranked

military officers, and his pose was that of a natural-born leader.

"What are you looking for, my people?" the man said with a calm,

gentle inflection. "I may be able to help you find that which

you seek."

As the leader opened his mouth to speak, the man raised his hand.

"Shush. Those who come here only come for two reasons - to worship

me...

"Or to die." He cast his gaze over them, and he frowned. "I see

that you worship the Lightbringer. She is not too far off from

what I am; after all, we are both aspects of the same personality.

She brings light, and I - I am the Morning Star, Lucifer incarnate,

the fallen angel bringing the dark light from the desolate earth.

You may switch the light you worship to mine..."

He turned his head around, wondering idly if there would be takers...

but none appeared. He sighed. "I do so hate this part. It means more

for my people to clean up." He snapped his fingers, and people started

emerging from the tunnels - enough to completely surround the team

and its leader. "At least your friends around town can be left for

the birds to deal with."

"What do you want?" the leader screamed in panic.

"It's quite simple, really," the man said as the mass of humans

closed in on the troops.

No matter how loud the party screamed, nothing was heard aboveground,

and their radios were all but useless in the metal-lined tunnels.

"I want Nothing."

Jack shook his head to keep himself awake. Nolan and Daniels slept

quietly in a back room, resting on sleeping bags, and he stood watch

in the early hours of the morning.

A call came from the transport. Sir, we've spotted movement in the area nearby,

and it doesn't look like our troops, the voice over the radio said. Orders?

Jack's eyes narrowed. "You're ordered to shoot to kill. Su-sama must be protected

at all costs. I'll get back to the transport. I'll order the others back. Once we all

regroup, we're getting the hell out of here."

He stepped into the back room where Nolan and Daniels were and shook them

awake. "Get up, you two. The transport may be in trouble."

_A few minutes later..._

Group one reporting, sir, the radio at his waist crackled. He unclipped

it and tapped the transmit button.

"Find anything?"

_You were right, sir,_ the leader said. _The schools had tons of equipment_

_locked up in their rooms, especially the Spring Branch ISD ones. We've got_

_Dell servers like mad out here, and most of them appear to work perfectly._

_We'll have to format them and install SuLinux, though, and we may have_

_to write our own drivers._

"Good," Jack transmitted. "Load what you can get - and that includes cables

and equipment - into your vehicle and get it back to the transport. We're starting

back as soon as everyone reports in."

_Roger_, came the reply, and a few minutes later, groups two and four reported

in with their findings - none too sparse in group four's case, and group two

had looted enough to fill a compact car. Jack ordered them back to the transport,

and he, Nolan, and Daniels started down the elevator shaft to their vehicle.

_Sir, we're under attack!_ Group five's leader sounded panicked, and the

sound of controlled M4A1 fire could be heard in the background. _They came out_

_of nowhere, they're not armed, but they're like cockroaches - shoot one, more_

_come out of the woodwork!_

"Where are you?" Jack snapped into the radio. "If you're near a freeway, get in your

car, get on it, and head west! We're getting the hell out of here!"

_We're near Buffalo Speedway, sir, but they've got us surrounded! We're not going_

_to be able to make it back without_ - The radio hissed and sputtered, and then

screams could be heard through it before a long burst of rifle fire. _Come on, you_

_bastards, come get me! You know you want it, so come and try your luck!_

"What the HELL are you doing, soldier?" Jack screamed. "Get out of there, now!

I don't give a goddamn if you have to run over them with your SU-V! Just get

back to the transport!"

_I'm drawing them off, sir, the leader said, her voice grim. I've got two rifles,_

_and I'm pulling them towards me so the others can get away. Just get out of here!_

_Go!_

"You better be at that transport, soldier," Jack said quietly into the radio. "You're

going to get a good talking-to."

_It's been a pleasure serving with you, sir,_ the leader's voice came over the radio,

her normally happy voice strained and adrenaline-filled. _All for the mission, all..._

The transmission cut off.

"All for the mission, all for her," Jack whispered. He dropped his head and

sighed heavily. "Nolan, Daniels, start up the SU-V. We're getting back to

the transport."

They piled in, and Nolan and Daniels grabbed rear seats, rolled down the windows,

and looked around for threats. "Keep those rifles ready. If the APC's in trouble,

we'll pull strafing runs."

Jack started the engine, then they pulled off the side street onto a main street,

and they were off. Jack jammed the gas pedal down, and they tore through the streets -

fast enough to get Nolan to worry.

"Sir, are you sure you can handle this area at these speeds?"

"I did it all the time when I was younger, I can goddamn well do it now!" he barked

back at the private. As if to emphasize his point, he floored the gas pedal and the

vehicle sliced through the morning fog. "No more cops to pull me over, so I can go

as fast as the roads permit!"

He screeched to a stop.

About a hundred feet in front of the SU-V, a line of people stood with what looked

to be spears and pitchforks in hand. One man stood alone in front of them, and he

stepped forwards into the rising sun's light.

Jack's eyes widened, and he stepped out of the car.

"Sir, who the hell are these people?" Nolan muttered, checking the safety on his

rifle.

"They don't look like the welcome wagon to me," Daniels said, fingering her grenade.

The one figure in front of the line threw out his arms towards the sky and began to

speak in a loud, commanding voice.

"Lo, there was a command given to the Chosen people to go forth and smite the

false prophets, to destroy them from this earth, to slay them and their children

and their children's children, that the Chosen would rule forever in the great

Nothing beyond the end of the world!"

The man started walking forwards, and as he did so, he drew a pistol from his clothing.

"And it was said that one of the greatest followers of the lord had forced one

of the False out years ago, that he had driven it from His midst, but had let it live

instead of killing it on the spot! The lord was unhappy at this, and his follower suffered

much for it, but he was eventually forgiven, and the mission continued!"

Jack reached for his Glock.

The lone figure aimed his pistol and screamed. "And lo, his grandson did reclaim

his flock, he did slay the Falsehood, and he rectified the past mistake!"

He got off one shot which missed Jack completely. Jack and Nolan fired at the

same time - Nolan's shot hit the pastor's leg, and Jack's hit him in the center

of mass, knocking him back onto the ground.

Jack dove into the car and slammed his door shut. "Get your guns, aim, fire at will!

Go, shoot, shoot!" He jammed the accelerator down and the SU-V lurched backwards, then

after a few seconds, it shot forwards, its momentum carrying it through the four-deep

line of people.

A few moments later, they were speeding down what remained of Highway 6's south side,

and Daniels shook her head. "Who the hell were they?"

"A figment of the past, Daniels," Jack said grimly, focusing on the road. "They

were people who hated people like me and Kana. Just be grateful you never got on

their bad side."

After about five minutes of fast driving, they pulled up alongside the transport, and

Su lowered the back gate. They pulled inside, and the door quickly slammed shut behind

them.

Jack stepped out, and the two guards who had been at the transport ran up to him.

"Sir, they're just ahead, they're near the old Holiday Inn," one of them said, his

rifle in his hands. "They're coming for us."

"Give me a set of binoculars and open the roof vent," Jack said, going to a wall-mounted

rack and pulling down an Arctic Warfare Magnum, then strapping it to his back. "I'm going

up there. Nolan, Daniels, you two check with groups one, two, and four and see where they

are. Once they get here, we're gone."

He climbed up a wall ladder, out a vent, onto the roof, and lay down on top of it,

pulling the binoculars to his eyes.

What he saw astounded him. Easily two hundred people stood there, weapons in hand,

and they were waiting for someone or something. All were dressed in black, and all

stared straight towards the transport.

The rumble of engines sounded neaby, and Jack saw three SU-Vs pull up, then into

the back bay of the transport. The door clanged shut, and Su turned to him from

the rooftop turret, her radio in hand.

_We're all here, except for groups three and five. Where'd they go?_

"Don't worry about them for the moment, Su-sama," Jack replied. "I'm coming in."

He re-entered the vehicle, and stood in front of his troops. "Okay, we've got a

problem. Group five is presumed dead. They fell under attack by the same people

that are outside, and we're about to get hit by them too. This transport is

heading back to Colorado now."

The statement hung in the air for a moment, then Nolan stepped forwards. "Sir,

where's group three?"

Jack's eyes widened. "Oh, hell, they've not reported back yet?" He raised his

radio to his lips. "Group three, report in."

The radio was silent.

"State your location and status, group three, that's an order!" Jack snapped out.

_So, the Lightbringer's leader speaks_, an amused voice came over the radio.

_It's a pleasure to hear from you at long last._

"You're not Chalmers," Jack said evenly, though his face went slack. "Where are

my troops, and how did you get one of my radios?"

The smooth voice continued. _It was rather simple. They trespassed on my_

_property, and I took the liberty of having my people grant them access to Nothing._

_Incidentally, they put up quite a fight, and they sent a more than a few of my people_

_back to Nothing as well._

"Just who are you?" Jack snapped, the anger beginning to show.

_You know what I look like, the man said with a soft laugh. Your drones took a_

_picture of me before I eliminated them. Did it come out well? I do hope that I_

_didn't get red-eye in it. Of course, that wasn't the best angle for a photo,_

_but you do what you can, don't you?_

"You rat bastard. You killed them! You killed them all!"

_Why, yes, I suppose I did, the reply came. And I do hope you know about the_

_group near your transport. I would hate for you not to know what's going to_

_send you into Nothing._

Before he tapped the button to transmit a reply, Jack barked out an order

to the troops there. "Unload the back SU-V of the stuff inside it. I'm borrowing

it. This bastard and I have a score to settle for groups three and five."

_My sheep tell me that you're pulling out! Surely you want to see just who_

_did this to your little children,_ the voice cackled over the SASA radio frequency.

Su narrowed her eyes and climbed out of the turret.

"Where the hell are you, you bastard?"

_I won't be too far. As a matter of fact, I'm right at Wilcrest now. Perhaps_

_we should meet at the place where you were once happiest._

"And that is where?" Jack snapped into the radio.

_You know full where I speak of. It was the only place you fit into, the_

_only place that you were accepted. It is the empty void in your life._

_Come return to it._ The radio paused. _Was that obscure enough?_

"Yes, you jackass," Jack sighed. "Give me an address."

The radio was silent for a few seconds. _Between Wilcrest and Kirkwood,_

_just south of Interstate 10. Look for the school._

Within thirty seconds, the vehicle's cargo was empty, and Jack climbed into it.

The back door slid down, and he pulled the SU-V out onto I-10.

"Get out of here, get back to Cheyenne Mountain!" Jack bellowed to the troops

standing at the door to the transport. "Get the cargo and Su-sama back there,

and don't look back! I'll be there later!"

The SU-V shook with the weight of something landing on its roof, and Jack pulled

his Glock out - only to find that Su had opened the passenger window via remote

and was buckling herself into the seat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Su-sama?" Jack said, dropping the

pistol on the dashboard. "You've got to get out of here!"

"Su told you that someone was here, didn't she?" she said. "Su knows what Su

is doing. Now either you drive or Su's going to."

Jack grimaced. "You know that that's almost as scary as what we're going up

against?"

The goddess nodded and grinned. "Let's go!"

They peeled off just as the transport took to the air and winged its way west.

_So, my followers tell me that the large turtle-plane has left the area,_

_the radio crackled. You're a fool to stay here, you know that?_

"You killed my students," Jack growled. "You ain't getting away with that,"

he said, his Texas accent beginning to show again.

_Oh, good, I do love it when something goes right._

Within five minutes, the SU-V pulled off the feeder road and into the flattened

area specified. Jack stepped out of the vehicle, and Su slid into the driver's

seat.

One man stood out in the wastes, one simple, lone man. His hands held a small book,

which he clasped to him, and as Jack walked forwards towards him, a black aura

flew up around the psychotic man.

"It took you a while to get to me, didn't it?" the man said quietly, but loud enough

for Jack to hear.

"Just who the hell are you?" Jack said, pulling his rifle off his back. "You killed

a group of my students..."

"Two groups, actually," the man said, shaking his aura. "They got close to

me, and I don't let anyone do that unless they follow my path. Your students

refused, and so..." He waved his fingers. "Poof."

"You son of a -"

The man put his left hand to his chin. "Well, it was more like 'Aaagh, aiyee,

oh, god, no, the pain, stop, please' and that, but you know what I mean, don't

you?"

Jack took aim and fired.

"A standard AWM rifle bullet is a .338 caliber Lapua Magnum round. Fired from

a rifle like the AWM, it can easily sever entire limbs with one shot, splatter

heads like cantaloupes, or just tear an exit wound the size of a fist in someone.

"Suffice it to say, this is a very deadly weapon, isn't it, Miss Arney?"

The girl nodded, her hair bouncing with every movement.

Talon smirked. "The let me be the first to tell you that it did absolutely

nothing against this man."

The aura stopped the bullet.

Jack stared in astonishment. He'd used this very rifle to hunt near Cheyenne Mountain,

and the bullet had brought down whatever it hit.

It was certainly enough to bring down a man.

And yet the man stood there, his aura slowly bringing the bullet towards him for

inspection. It dropped it into his hand, and he held it up to the light. "A Magnum!

My, my, you're quite angry at me, aren't you? Still, though, I wouldn't think that

the situation calls for that."

Jack fired two more rounds in quick succession, pumping the round into the chamber

after each one, then a fresh round after the second.

Each time, the aura stopped the bullets.

The man smiled, and his teeth could be seen against the darkness of his aura.

"And now perhaps I should show you my weapon, Lightbringer's pawn." He raised

his hands high, and clenched in them was a book.

"Behold, the Light, the true Light. The Light of Evil!"

He lowered it back to his chest. "Perhaps it is time I showed you just what it

can do."

With that, a black tendril shot out towards Jack, who barely had time to

roll aside before it struck the ground and lashed up dirt and stone.

"I missed! Oh, well, you remember what they said when we were young - smile

and fall down, night and day!"

Another tentacle of black energy flew towards Jack, and it would have hit,

except for the fact that Jack had formed a small shield of his ice and

used that to block the tentacle while he drew his sword.

"You're trying to fight me? Oh, this is rich!" the man chortled. He narrowed

his eyes. "You can't win." His aura expanded, and it flared, ready to send off

hundreds of tendrils -

- and a huge circle of earth shot up around him. Jack looked around, then saw Su's

hands in contact with the ground. He sheathed his sword and dropped the icy shield,

then ran for the SU-V as Su opened the passenger door. He dove in, slammed it shut

behind him, and Su jammed the accelerator to the floor.

The vehicle sped away, and a few seconds later, the wall of earth exploded outwards.

"They are dead. They just don't know it yet."

"They obviously didn't die, though," Arney said, her hands turning white as

they gripped the armrests on her chair.

"That's kind of a given, seeing as how Su's still alive today," Talon said

with a grin before he unwrapped another Jolly Rancher. He pushed the bowl of

the candies towards Arney, but she shook her head. Talon shrugged and continued.

"Jack to Tama-transport, come in, Tama-transport," Jack said into the SU-V's

radio as Su drove with insane speed along the ruins of I-10.

_This is Tama-transport zero-five, sir_, the reply came. _What the hell happened_

_to you and Lady Su, sir?_

"You don't want to know, son," Jack said, his voice grim. "Once you get back to

home base, get a plane to San Antonio pronto. Su-sama and I will hole up in the

airport and wait there. Bring tons of weapons - hell, bring Kana if you have to.

I don't give a goddamn what you bring, but make it powerful!"

_Affirmative. We'll relay your request to control for you_, the reply came.

"We'll be there in about three hours. Have the plane either on the ground

or close by!" Jack clipped the radio to the dashboard. "What the hell was

that guy?" he muttered.

"Su knew something bad was there," Su said as the SU-V tore along the slowly

decaying freeway. "That place needs to be destroyed."

_Affirmative. We'll relay your request to control for you._

The man grinned, then clicked the radio off. "My people, watch over

this for me - watch over the city of Argyle! I shall return!"

With a blast of darkness, his aura flared, and he moved with such speed

that dust clouds were raised behind him.

He moved towards San Antonio.

_Tama-transport zero-five to control, come in, control, over,_ the transmission

came.

Kana and Shinobu were in the control room at the moment, and due to his

presence, the technician on duty scrambled for the radio. "This is control.

What's your situation?"

_We are missing personnel and the commander and Lady Su are not on board. They_

_stayed behind to investigate something, and now they're requesting transport_

_from the San Antonio airport. They requested heavy backup too, over._

"Heavy backup?" Shinobu said, a frown crossing her face. "Su requesting backup?"

Kana's face tightened. "You cannot seriously be entertaining the thought of

going in person."

Shinobu shook her head. "I'm going, whether you like it or not. She's my friend,

and she's coming home!"

Kana stared for a second. "Your compassion will one day be your downfall. That

day, however, will be a long way off." He patted his katana. "That day will be

when I will not be with you."

Shinobu smiled. "Let's go!"

She started for the North Portal, Kana in tow.

"Control to Tama-transport zero-five, backup is heading to the San Antonio airport

now," the technician said, a note of relief evident in his voice as Kana left.

"Backup consists of Lady Shinobu, Lord Kana, and their VTOL transport. It's unknown

if Lord Riam will be joining them; I assume he will."

_Assume nothing, Control_, the transport replied._ Just hope that Lady Su and the_

_commander are still alive when they get there. If they're not, we'd better learn_

_to kiss Naru's ass. Request landing vector, over._

__

__

__

Jack collapsed onto a sofa in a lounge in one of the terminals in the airport,

which he and Su had gotten to half an hour faster than they thought they would.

"Su-sama, you drive like a maniac."

She flashed him a grin. "Hey, we're here, aren't we?"

His face darkened. "Yeah, no thanks to the rat back there who tried to kill

me. He got my students, those drones... just who the hell is that guy?"

Su shook her head. "Su doesn't know, but I think we better start watching

our backs until we get back. That guy was serious."

Jack nodded and sighed. "And now we've got to wait for whatever Shinobu and

Kana send - assuming they even got our message."

After about half an hour, Jack was reading an old "Time" magazine, and

Su had stepped out of the room - but a soft sound came from outside the

room - that of a hard heel clicking on the tile floor.

"I would wager they got your message, boy," the man said, stepping in, his book

in hand. "However, they will not be fast enough, and when they arrive, I will

send them to the depths of the damnable Void as well!"

Jack bolted out of his seat a split second before a shaft of darkness tore a

hole through it, then pulled out his sword. "I'll be damned if you send me anywhere,

you bastard!" He flung the issue of "Time" straight at the being, and it was torn

to ribbons in front of him.

"You can't hide forever, you know. You know my nature, and you'll either serve me

or be damned for eternity!" The man held up the Light of Evil again, and Jack took

the opportunity to charge up what he could of lightning.

"To me, o Thunder!" With a wave of his hand, the bolt flew towards the book, and

when it hit, it did nothing.

"To me, o Fire!" A small bolt of fire repeated the process.

"It won't do anything, fool," the man laughed. "It draws on you, your fear, your

mind, your soul - all the evil in you feeds it, gives it more power!"

"Then be damned with it!" Jack aimed his sword at the book. "With this blade,

and the weak powers I have, I'll at least delay you!"

"You're welcome to try," the man said.

"Hyah!" An earth wall shot up around him again, and Jack took the opportunity to

fire off a ball of ice towards the nearest window, which Su then pulled him through.

A second later, the earth flew in all directions, and the man gave chase.

The two fugitives stopped on the nearest runway, just as a plane came into view

above.

"What in the nine hells..."

Kana stared down at the fight below, Shinobu at the next window over.

"Whoever that is, they wield a considerable amount of darkness. Let us

pick up Su-san and the fop and leave."

Shinobu went to the cockpit. "Take the plane in!"

Riam came up behind her. "Run over the man with the aura down there.

Keep Su safe at all costs!"

"You can't get away, you know," the man said, his book in front of him.

"You can run, you can hide, but I'll catch you every time."

"You'll catch me? Catch me?" Jack sighed as he held out his sword. "Then

let's finish this." He grinned as he saw the nose of the plane tilt up

and the landing gear come out...

The man, however, didn't.

He did hear it when it got close, and he dove for cover before it would

have crushed him.

A few seconds later, Kana strode down the ramp. "You called for help, you

weakling?" His katana was drawn, and it emitted a soft black glow. Riam

came up behind him, a Hechler and Koch MP5 in his hands, and his eyes

glinting murderously.

Jack grinned weakly, his sword hanging loosely in his hands. "For once

in my life, Kana, I am goddamned glad to see you!"

Kana charged the man with the book, Jack trailing behind him, and

Shinobu ran out of the plane to hug Su. The two women started making

their way back to the plane across the degraded runway -

And the madman cackled. "So, it IS the Lightbringer! Oh, this is perfect,

this is too perfect! I'll corrupt her and..."

A clang of steel on aura interrupted him. Kana was in front of him, his

black katana impacting on the man's aura, and he bore a truly furious

look in his eyes.

"You will NOT."

Kana slashed repeatedly with his katana, driving the man back step after

step, until he'd gotten him up against a wall. Before Kana could strike a

killing blow, the man smashed the wall open with his aura and started

levitating the chunks of cement from it.

One by one, they flew towards the jet - specifically, the engines. It seemed

as if he was going to get them and keep them there...

And just before the first rock hit the plane, a small ball of ice hit it and

deflected it just barely enough so it would skim over the plane. A spray of bullets

shattered the second, then the third, and the ones following it -

Kana turned around just enough to nod to Jack and Riam and continued pressing his

attack.

The psychotic's eyes widened. "You are like me, necromancer. We both have the same

goal in mind... you hate humanity as much as I do... join me, aid me, and we can

achieve the goal of eradicating them. It's really not that hard to do - just

say that you switch your allegiance; the Lightbringer won't mind one bit..."

He was cut off as Kana slapped him across the face. "I am NOTHING like you!"

With one swift blow, Kana knocked the Light of Evil from the man's hands. He tried

to pick it up - a bolt of blackness shot across his hands -

And the man grinned. "Yes, you can't touch it now. It's too strong for you.

Soon, though, soon you'll be able to absorb all of it, then you'll have my

powers, my powers and yours, all in you, and then what'll you do? The Lightbringer

will hate you, and you won't be able to do anything about it!"

Kana dropped the book and stepped backwards in horror.

"Yes, that's right," the man grinned. "I've seen it, and you know what? You

can't escape it any more than I can. But I don't want to escape it - I love

it."

He reised his arms theatrically. "Yes, I, Thomas Hatchet Argyle, love my powers - "

He turned to Kana and flared out his aura. "But I HATE you!"

That was as far as he got before Jack clubbed him in the back of his head with a

long blackjack of ice. He fell to the ground unconscious, and Jack reached out and

plucked the SASA radio from his body.

He then spat on the side of Argyle's face. "You goddamned bastard. I hope

you burn for what you did to my kids."

He and Kana stepped back, and for the third time, Su threw up a wall of earth

around Argyle.

Kana and Jack ran back to the VTOL, then entered it. The door shut behind them

after they followed the goddesses into the craft, and within a few minutes, they

were on their way back to Colorado.

No one spoke during the flight. Su and Shinobu were in each other's arms; Riam

cleaned his MP5; Jack stared out a window, his head in his hands; Kana sat in his

seat, his katana across his legs.

Kana's stare was, as always, intense.

_Back in Colorado Springs..._

"One man did that."

Shinobu shook her head in amazement. "Aaau, this isn't good. He knows who we are,

and if he had the radio... he knows where we are!"

Jack shook his head. "He knew who we called. I don't think he knew just where

we are, though. We didn't talk about the base via radio."

"You called for help." Kana's voice dripped venom at Jack. "He heard it, obviously."

"Silence, Kana. He heard that we called the base. There's no way he could

have heard the transport relay the message, and we didn't have a satellite radio."

"So we've got someone in Texas who's a threat to anyone who meets him. What are our

plans?" Shinobu said quietly.

"We do nothing," Kana said flatly. "He wields power beyond that which I can control.

Suffice it to say, he will easily defeat the tuxedoed fop over there."

Jack snorted. "Su-san and I fought him off twice. We can stall him. We can't beat

him, and neither can you, Kana. I'd say - no offense meant - that it's a tossup

even for Shinobu-sama."

"Claim it as you wish; I will not be a part of attacking him," Kana said, then

turned and left. Jack sighed, as did Shinobu.

Jack turned to Shinobu and shook his head. "Shinobu-sama, we don't have a chance

against him, and we all know it. I say that we officially forget this thing ever

happened - but unofficially, we start training the recruits to deal with and

possibly neutralize him."

Shinobu blinked, then nodded. "I'll work on some things to try to stop him with Su.

Riam will keep the soldiers ready."

Jack bowed, then exited the command room.

As he walked down the halls, a soldier - one of the ones assigned to the satellite

control room - came up to him. "Sir, I just thought you'd want to know this. Today's

batch of satellite photos came in. They're on the server now. Did you like the ones

that came in earlier? Nice and crisp, eh?"

"What are you talking about? I haven't requested any new satellite photos," Jack

said irritably.

The soldier laughed. "Of course you did, sir! There's an e-mail in my box from you

that told me to track a few Naru-patrols that are just a little too close to the

city for comfort. Not only that, the file tags on the satellite photos from

earlier - you know, the ones over Houston that show that wacko - they show that

the file was accessed by your login a while back! You must've forgotten about it

or something."

"But I swear that..." Jack stopped there, then nodded. "Sure, thanks. I'll take a

look at the new ones once I can get to my office." He moved on, and the soldier

eventually wandered off.

Jack's face grew grim.

He reached his office, and he drew out the key to unlock it - but the door slid

open when he touched the knob. The cleaning staff may have left it open, he

thought for a second. He shrugged, then shut the door behind him after switching

on the lamp, noting the calm red glow of the two security camera lights amid the

shelves of servers.

"I really do think that hiding the cameras in a rack of servers was smart" he

muttered to himself. "All the status lights hide their presence, and hell, they

almost fool me."

Jack rubbed the two labels next to the lights - "SuSE Server 1 - Power Supply A"

and "Sendmail Server - Antivirus Update Needed." He cackled for a minute. "Nope,

never gonna need an antivirus program now!"

He walked over to his desk, saw that the power light on the main unit was off,

flipped on Tsukimi, then sat down in his chair and turned on the monitor. It

booted - a little slower than normal, or was it his eyes? - and Jack was soon

presented with a familiar screen.

"This shouldn't have been off, though... I never shut this down."

_WELCOME TO TSUKIMI!_

This system is

running Linux.

Login: 

He logged in, then input his password, and a few seconds later...

_WELCOME TO TSUKIMI!_

This system is

running Linux.

Login: tuxedojack

Pass:

Login accepted.

Welcome to Tsukimi. I'm running on kernel 2.4.26.

Please input your commands after I launch KDE.

Your last successful login was ninety-three hours

and twenty-one minutes ago, sensei.

[tuxedojacktsukimi tuxedojack]$ 

Jack's jaw dropped. Admittedly, his password wasn't so hard to crack, and anyone with

a decent password decrypter could have gotten through it - but that technology was

restricted to Su and the other techs, and even Jack didn't dare use it.

_[tuxedojacktsukimi tuxedojack]$ startx_

Jack loaded KDE, and with a few clicks, he loaded the camera tape viewing program.

The computer scanned over to the time when he last logged in, and the demigod's face

hardened when he saw just what had happened in his office while he was gone.

"Oh, shit, that's what that soldier meant!"

Jack double-clicked on Evolution and checked his "Sent Mail" box, noting the last

one - "Request for Satellite Surveillance" and its sent time. He scanned the reply

to it in his inbox, then loaded up the files it referenced...

And his eyes went wide as he saw the photos that the satellite had taken. He

issued a command to the nearest disk drive to copy them, and to the cameras to

transfer the feed to a backup tape.

As he exited his office, the tape ejected itself, and all the evidence he needed

on it. He grabbed it, shut the door, locked it, and started along the path to an

office.

"That rat bastard, cracking into Tsukimi and going through my files... I'll

goddamned KILL him!" Jack muttered as he stomped through the halls in search of his

target.

After a few minutes, he found Riam in front of a few soldiers instructing them

on the proper way to oil an MP5. He grinned. "Oy, Riam, got a minute?" he said,

beckoning to Su's consort.

The man turned, then nondded. "What do you need?"

Jack leaned in towards him. "You know that rock outside? The one on the north

slope, near the north portal?"

Outside the mountain, Kana lifted a pair of binoculars to his eyes and grinned

with all the sanity of a deranged magical clown at the vision he saw through

the lenses.

"Oh, this is beautiful, this is too perfect." With a soft clink, he withdrew

his katana from its sheath, and the blade immediately started giving off black

waves. Kana ran the edge over his tongue softly, and with a feral grin, he flipped

the katana over, then started down the mountainside...

Towards the Naru-patrols there.

Two Naru-patrols were encamped about five miles away, their vehicles off and silent,

their campfires roaring and uncovered.

"And then he says, 'Zutto,' to her! Isn't that some kind of nut?" The troops burst

into gales of laughter, and a soft, oily voice slid forth from the darkness of the

nearby trees.

"It means, 'always.'" A laugh sounded. "Or it can mean 'never.' It depends on how

it's used," the voice said, and the Naru-troops gathered in the clearing immediately

shouldered their weapons and started looking around for the threat.

"Drop your weapons," Kana said, stepping out from the trees, his sword drawn. "I

don't appreciate your trespassing on Shinobu's property. I think you should leave."

The leader of the Naru-troops lowered his weapon and started laughing. "Ooh, big man

with his little pansy sword. What're you going to do, boy, bleed all over me?" His laughter

was joined by that of the other troops.

Kana smirked. "No, I rather like my blood in pools on the ground. It makes for a far

easier clean-up job."

"I'll try to accomodate you," the leader said, aiming his pistol. Kana moved, just quick

enough to avoid the leader's poorly-aimed shot, then ended up with his blade next to the

man's chest a few seconds later.

"No, I think I'll accomodate myself quite nicely," Kana said, shoving the blade through

the man's sternum.

"Bas... tard..."

Kana wrenched the blade out and turned to regard the other troops and their shocked

amazement before turning his blade on them.

Their screams echoed through the night, but they were short-lived - both the men and

the screams. A few minutes later, Kana wiped his katana on the edge of the leader's

pants and pointed it skyward.

"In life you served her, in death you shall serve me, and you shall generate more of

yourself in order to increase my power!"

The troops arose slowly, shambled to their vehicles, and started them... then Kana

bowed his head. "Go! Go to destroy the other Naru-patrols around here! Make more,

more corpses, more dead, more glorious death!"

As the vehicles started off on their thirty-six-hour trip, Kana turned and began

walking back to the mountain.

He didn't see the glints of the binoculars held to the eyes of the two scouts on

the mountainside. It was fortunate for them that he didn't.

_Okay, I'm ready_, Riam's voice came over the radio. _It's all set up. Here's_

_hoping that you get your part done and done right._

"Oh, I will," Jack said grimly. "Just make sure that Shinobu's listening at the

scheduled time." He clicked his radio off. "God, I didn't think I'd ever be such

a bastard. He goes through my system, tries to blame me for the satellite photos,

and now I'm pulling this... Christ, I'm almost as bad as he is."

He opened the door to his office, then sat down in his chair and called Kana's office.

"Hmm. Not there. Weird." He placed a call up to the throne room's antechamber, but the

guards there said that they'd not seen Kana either.

"Something's up." Jack dialed the North and South portals, and yes, the North Portal

guards had seen Kana leave about twenty minutes earlier.

"Oh, hell, he couldn't..." Jack shook his head. This was Kana. He would. He

turned on his radio and started for the door. "Change of plans, Riam. We're moving up

the timetable. Get her to the listening post, and get her there now. I don't care how you do

it, just get her there and keep her quiet!"

_Yo-kai_, the reply came.

"Dammit," Jack muttered to no one in particular before exiting the North Portal and

starting down the road to the position where the Naru-patrols had been encamped.

Halfway there, he ran into Kana.

"Good evening, Kana," Jack said through tightly clenched teeth. "Out for a walk?"

"You could say that," the necromancer replied evenly.

"Then walk with me," Jack commanded. "We've got something to talk about."

"You don't have anything to talk to me about; nothing that's worth my time," Kana

snorted in reply.

"It's worth my time," Jack shot back. "And Shinobu's. If she finds what I found,

we're all dead. You, me, Riam - even her, most likely."

"If it's a threat to her, then we'll talk." Kana's eyes narrowed. "You had best not

waste my time, whelp."

By this time, Jack had maneuvered the walk so that they were near the large rock and

(hopefully) a radio that would transmit whatever was being said inside to the control

room - where Riam and Shinobu would be listening to each and every word.

"So what is this threat that places us all in danger?" Kana said mockingly. "Is it that

man Argyle? Is it your cooking?"

"Hardly, Kana," Jack replied softly. "What we say here stays here, got it? We don't

speak of this outside of this location. No one's nearby, so they can't hear us. The

problem? It's you." Noting the other man's eyes narrowing, he continued on. "You've

killed good men and women, destroyed careers, and just generally made life for many,

many people a living hell. That I can forgive, as I can work with them and their families

to undo - or at least try to mend the wounds - of what you did."

Jack crossed his arms, then mentally checked his side for his sword - it was there, as

always. He took comfort in the weight and continued. "But when you went into my office,

went through my files, then used that data - that I can't forgive. I don't care if it was

for Shinobu or not - you do NOT go through my property. Do you get me?"

Kana snorted. "Is that all you called me out here for? I never went into your office."

"You're a terrible liar, Kana," Jack said with an evil grin, hoping that the radio behind

the rock was transmitting. "I have cameras in my office. They showed you accessing Tsukimi

while I was gone."

"Tapes can be faked."

"Login timestamps can't." Jack pulled the tape out of his breast pocket and held it up

to the light. "That's the thing about Linux, Kana - it keeps logs of everything. I set

Tsukimi up to keep logs of logons and logoffs, and shutting the power off doesn't erase it.

When I came back and logged in, I saw it."

Kana's face tightened. "Fine. I was in your computer while you were gone. What's your point?"

"I saw the satellite photos that lay in my inbox, Kana. You know, the ones that you wanted

me to check on? The Texas ones, the ones around the mountain - and the new Naru-patrols."

Jack's voice turned to ice as he regarded Kana with a critical eye. "Tell me, Kana. Where

are the two Naru-patrols that were camped here?"

"They are not here. Is that not obvious?" Kana's voice, normally impassioned, was becoming

strained.

"I should think not," Jack muttered. "I have scouts looking out over the valley now." He

clicked on his radio, then turned it up to maximum volume. "THX-1138, what do you see out

there?"

_Sir, the Naru-patrols are moving east. They don't seem to be tiring, either - they were in_

_camp for only about two hours, and they're moving too fast. Something's definitely wrong with_

_them, sir._

"Thank you, THX-1138. That will be all." Jack clicked the radio off, then clipped it to his

belt. He left his hand there. "So, Kana, what happened to them? Don't tell me, let me guess."

Jack put his other hand to his chin in a pseudo-thoughtful gesture. "You killed them all."

"They were dangerously close to Shinobu-sama's base. Had they come closer, they may have

mounted an attack," Kana said, hissing out his reply.

"It doesn't matter!" Jack said, finally losing his temper. "You're a goddamned murderer!"

"Whatever I do, I do to protect Shinobu!" Kana said, his hand going to his katana. "That's

why..."

"That's why what?" Jack said, then his eyes opened wide. "Oh, god, don't tell me."

"That's why those Naru-patrols are going to kill all the patrols near here." Kana's eyes

glittered in the darkness. "All the dead will come to serve me, and through me, Shinobu."

"Not if I can stop it," Jack growled. "Oh, and Kana? I lied. There's a radio here that's

been transmitting this whole conversation to the control room." He pulled his radio from

his belt while Kana stood stock-still. "Hear me, Riam? Shinobu-sama?" Jack said, then

turned his radio on.

Loud and clear, Jack, Riam's cold voice came from the radio. That's quite a list of

misdeeds, Kana. Don't expect a warm welcome from me.

Jack turned off the radio. "My point is made. Get out, Kana. Don't come back." He turned, then

started walking towards the North Portal.

It was the sound of metal-on-metal that made Jack dive to the side - and that saved his life,

as Kana's katana came crashing down where he was a few seconds ago.

"What the HELL are you doing, you maniac?" Jack bellowed before rolling and getting up.

"What I should have done a long time ago," Kana said, the maniacal glint in his eyes glaring.

"You can't protect Shinobu - you're not willing to take whatever steps are necessary!" Kana

turned towards Jack, his katana pointing straight towards the commander. "And if you can't

protect her, you'll be removed too!"

Jack ripped his sword from its sheath. "I can at least protect her from you!" Kana charged

Jack, and the mage stayed back, waiting until Kana got close - then he ducked under Kana's

slash, rolled to the side, and fired off a bolt of flame at Kana - deflected.

"Then come on, come and get me, and we'll see what I can do!" As Kana charged Jack again,

his katana ready for a killing slash, Jack chanted something - and a block of ice appeared

in front of him, which was quickly pared down to the size of a large shield. Jack took it

in hand, then started bouncing on his feet.

"Kana, I swear by God, come today, one of us is leaving Shinobu's side, and it's sure not

going to be me!"

Sword met sword as the two leaders of the Shinobu and Su Alliance's forces clashed, and for the

second time in three days, Jack was outclassed by his opponent. His skills with the sword weren't

near enough to drive Kana back - instead, Jack was being beaten back towards the portal. Everything

he tried - sword attacks, fire, lightning, ice - nothing worked, though it seemed that

Jack wanted the fight to move towards the North Portal.

In desperation, he jumped over one of Kana's sweeps towards his legs, and fired off a small

amount of ice pellets at high velocity. They slammed into Kana, and he shrugged them off and

kept coming, blood barely oozing from his shoulders.

It bought Jack enough time to get a safe distance from Kana, and when he made it away, he turned

around. "Guess I'd better use this. It's been a long time since I've had to!" He shifted so his

sword was pointed straight at Kana, then spoke again. "Elemental Storm!" Shards of ice ran off

the main blade, making very pointy sword-catchers, fire ringed the tip, and every so often, bolts

of lightning would run down it. "Come on, Kana, try it out!"

"Gladly," the necromancer hissed before knocking the blade from Jack's hands with his katana.

"It doesn't look like it works very well, now does it?"

"Apparently not," Jack conceded as he moved out of the way of another slash - then a second -

and grabbed his sword again in time to block a third. "But let's try that again!" He ducked

Kana's decapitating sweep and then slashed out with his own sword, only to be blocked.

"Average - that's all you ever were," Kana said with an evil grin. "How you got so high

in the ranks, I'll never know." His katana moved like the tongues of flames, licking and jumping,

darting in towards Jack's weak spots, which the mage could only barely block in time -

- a quick strike of Kana's sent Jack tumbling to the ground, and a few seconds later, Kana's

left leg came down on Jack's hand, reaching for the sword he carried -

"It's over." Kana drew back his sword. "Any last words, jack of all trades, master of none?"

"Yeah." Despite his situation, Jack had a wolfish grin on his face. "Look at the Portal!"

Kana's eyes rolled towards the gate. "Please. That is the oldest trick..." He cut himself off

as a feminine scream sounded from the hole in the mountain.

"Kana!" Shinobu rushed out of the mountain, Riam behind her. The goddess held balls of light

in each hand, and Riam held an AWM at the ready and targeted straight at Kana's head.

"And the cavalry's here, Kana," Jack hissed quietly. "You'd better get out of here before

Riam shoots you - or I carve you up in front of Shinobu." He wrenched his arm free, rolled

to one side, and snatched up his sword, getting it into position as he came up from his roll.

"Kana..." Shinobu's voice was cracking. "How... how could you?"

Kana's eyes widened. "My lady, I... I did it all for you! All to protect you!"

"How does your killing others who had no intention of attacking protect me?" Shinobu said, tears

streaming down her delicate face. "You didn't do it to protect me at all! You did it for the sheer

thrill of killing those people!"

Kana stood there, his head bowed, his hand shaking on the hilt of his katana.

"You went against everything I asked you to do, Kana," Shinobu managed through her tears.

"How could you?" She shook her head. "Just... leave." When the necromancer raised his head

as if to protest, she raised her hand and pointed it at him. "Don't. Just get out. I don't

want to see you here."

Kana stalked towards Jack, katana at the ready, and before he could reach the mage, Shinobu

fired off a shot which lanced between the two. Her tears were flowing freely now, and even

Jack could see them glitter in the starry night.

"I said GO, Kana!" Her voice trembled, and Riam cocked the rifle. "I don't want to kill

you, but I will if I have to... if it means stopping others from dying..."

Kana turned towards Jack. "You're lucky. She's saved your life. Were Shinobu not here, I would

have killed you tonight. Remember that." He turned, then turned back rapidly and slashed a deep

wound into Jack's left arm. The mage howled in pain just before Shinobu fired, missing Kana completely,

but with the desired effect of making him flee into the night.

"Remember, _viator lucis _- all I did, I did for you."

Jack pressed his right hand to the gash in his left arm, and muttering a few words, began to heal it.

After a few moments, the wound closed, and he stood from his kneeling position, somewhat pale,

though obviously alive and able to take more.

"Let's get her inside," Jack said to Riam. "I'll carry her, you keep a watch for Kana."

Riam nodded, and the AWM went to ready position once more as the mage picked up Shinobu

in his arms. "Wrap your arms around my neck, Shinobu-sama," he said quietly as she sobbed

into his shoulder. Once her arms were in the requested position, he moved quietly into the

mountain, Riam following close behind.

"Sir, what happened?" the guards said, their faces ashen.

"Kana is hereby _persona non grata _on our territory. You have orders to remove him from the

premises on sight. Spread the word," Jack said grimly, walking past the guards into the base.

After they reached the elevator, Riam slipped off, claiming that he needed to return the AWM

to the armory. Jack tapped a button with the end of one of his fingers, and the elevator

sped down through the shaft deep into the mountain's core.

After a few moments, they arrived at the floor where Shinobu had her small residence. Jack

somehow manipulated the door into opening, and he carried her inside and wandered through

her suite until he found her bed. He laid her on it, then pulled one of her sheets over her,

and turned to leave -

"Please don't go," the small voice came. "I'll be alone again." The soft, quiet crying was

evident in her trembling voice. "They all left me, years ago, and I haven't seen any of them

except Su in years... I don't know how Naru-senpai is, or Urashima-senpai, and Kitsune-san,

Motoko-san, Kanako-san... I haven't seen them, and they haven't tried to talk to me at all..."

"You're not alone, Shinobu-sama," Jack said, pulling a nearby chair up to her bed. "You're

never alone." He tucked her in a little tighter, clasped her small hand in his, and gently

kissed her on the forehead. "Get some sleep. I'll stay here with you."

"Arigatou," Shinobu whispered, closing her eyes. "Oyasumi..."

"Oyasumi nasai, Shinobu-sama," Jack whispered before leaning back in his chair, but not

relinquishing his hold on her hand.

After a while, Shinobu's soft crying stopped, and her tears and sobs became soft breathing.

Jack hadn't fallen asleep, though. He sat there, his free hand rubbing his chin.

"'And the angel dark, angel light, each was half the balance, and each served to complement

and accentuate her inner soul,'" he muttered. "'Each would serve her, each would love her,

each would die for her, one will.'"

Jack sighed. "One will what? It cut off there, and I didn't ever hear the rest. It's obvious,

though, who the Angel Dark is." He snorted. "I'd have to be blinder than Mu Si to miss that. And

yet..." He moved some hair out of Shinobu's face. She frowned for a moment in her sleep, then

relaxed. Her grip on his hand was still strong, though.

"And yet I probably won't be around to see this Angel Light." He glanced at his left arm.

"If this is any indication, I won't be around for much longer, either. I'm not even strong

enough to beat Kana. How can I protect Shinobu?" He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Minor reflections of other people's powers can't do anything to help me help her."

He bowed his head.

"I just don't know any more."

Kana tore through the night on foot, his speed swift, his path sure. After a short while,

he caught up with a stray Naru-patrol that he'd missed earlier. Without bothering to spout

platitudes, he laid into them, and a scant few seconds later, their corpses were reanimated.

He boarded their Liddo-walker, and with a telepathic command, they began the trek east to

catch up to the other undead patrols.

_Shinobu-sama, even if I can't protect you there, I'll protect you somehow!_

Kana's mind was barely staying together under the shock of being forcibly discharged from

Shinobu's service, and that did not do wonders for his thought processes. He lay back on the

Liddo-walker's roof, and with a manic grin, his eyes lit up with a burning fury.

_Go east, my troops. We'll get her protection there, and nothing - not Naru, not Mutsumi,_

_and not that jackass - will stand in my way of keeping her safe!_

__

__

__

And on his throne in the desolate wastelands of Houston, Thomas Hatchet Argyle laughed

and laughed and laughed...

Until he fell off his throne.

"Ow."

"You made that part up."

"Did I, Ms. Arney?" Talon asked, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. Arney crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the professor.

"Yes…"

"Really? How can you tell?"

"For two reasons: One, _you_ weren't there, and two, Argyle never wrote anything down. All we know about him is from his brother, and the eyewitness reports of everyone during the Battle of Houston, July 4th, 2101."

"So I've stretched the truth slightly. Artistic license." Talon looked over his glasses at the young woman appraisingly.

"I seem to recall something in your last paper, alluding that Major General Ulysses S. Grant had a drinking problem during the Civil War, when in fact there was no evidence for this. Rather, there were only rumors that he was an alcoholic." Arney flushed, looking down at her lap.

"I heard it somewhere…" she mumbled, gripping her skirt nervously. Talon sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair, and staring at the ceiling.

"Yes, well… I've lived by this adage, ever since I was a child: _Understanding is a three-edged sword: Your side, their side, and the truth._Take that to heart, Ms. Arney. I don't pretend that it solves all problems, but it certainly has helped me in making up my mind." Arney nodded, looking up at her teacher with a bright smile.

"Thanks."

"My pleasure," Talon responded, smiling paternally at the young woman. His gaze shifted slightly to the clock adorning the far wall, and sighed.

"I've been talking for over six hours," he noted in bemusement, while Arney blinked and looked at her own watch. She then looked out the windows, tinged red and purple with the sun's imminent departure. 

"Oh! Oh no… I had… uh… An appointment! I've got to go!" Arney jumped up out of her seat, falling over in her rush to the door.

"Oof!"

"No need to rush, Ms. Arney," Talon soothed, getting up, rounding the desk, and holding out a hand to the now-completely-scarlet girl, which she accepted. "If your… 'appointment', is understanding, I'm sure they won't mind if you're a little late."

"Thank you, Proffessor… But, um… Can we… Continue this? At a later time?" Talon smiled at the girl, and squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

"Of course, Ms. Arney. I'd love to. Good night."

"Good night, sir," Arney said breathlessly, as she turned and ran out the door, her footfalls echoing down the now-dark hallway. Proffessor Talon smiled warmly after her, before turning to the coatrack nearby, donning his long black cloak. With his books and notes in his breifcase, he departed himself, walking down the empty corridor, finally coming to the door, and clearing that, striding over the campus grounds. He looked around in admiration for the tall trees, shaking slightly in the warm summer night's breeze, and at the first few stars opening up above in the rapidly-darkening sky. And to a distant memory, his smile grew a little more.

"_All I need's a tall ship…_"

To be continued in, "The Light of Evil"


	21. Extended Blooper Reel

**The Bonds of Time: Extended Blooper Reel!**

... Because "Light of Evil" is taking longer than expected.

  
Enjoy!

* * *

**Naru in the Sauna, Take 1**

Kebinu: (on the other side of the door) Empress! I have important news for you!

Naru: (getting out of the tub) Just a-(slips and falls onto the tiled floor) SHIT!

Kebinu: (rushes in, blushes at the sight) Er, Empress? You okay-?

Naru: PERVERT! (punches Kebinu through the wall)

Director: CUT!

**Naru in the Sauna, Take 2**

Kebinu: (on the other side of the door) Empress! I have important news for you!

Naru: (getting out of the tub) I-(slips on a rubber ducky and crashes into the wall) DAMNIT!

Talon: Oh! So that's where my ducky went...

Naru: (runs after Talon, furious and NAKED) YOU BASTARD! PREPARE TO DIE!

Talon: (running and covering his eyes) I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO!

Director: (severe nosebleed) CUT!

**Talon meets Kebinu, Take 1**

Talon: I am Andrew Joshua Talon, military commander of the Otohime Union. Welcome to Maryland, Ambassador.

Kebinu: (humming "The Imperial March" from _Star Wars_) Huh?

Talon: (vein bursting on his head) PAY ATTENTION!

Kebinu: (points) Why are your guards dressed like Stormtroopers?

Talon: (turns, and sees that, indeed, they are) What the f-?

Stormtrooper 1: (raises his cheap plastic blaster) Episode Three is coming!

Rest of the Stormtroopers: HUZZAH!

Lucia: (groan) Did we _have_ to sign up extras from that Sci Fi convention?

Director: Cut, already! I don't want to be associated with George Lucas any more than I have to!

**Talon meets Kebinu, Take 2**

Talon: I am Andrew Joshua Talon, military commander of the Otohime Union. Welcome to Maryland, Ambassador.

Kebinu: (nods) And I am-Huh? What is it _this time?!_

Talon: Huh? (turns. The guards and Lucia are dressed as various anime characters)

Lucia: (dressed as Rouroni Kenshin, grins) Otakucon, baby!

Guards: YEAH!

Kebinu: (groan) First Star Wars geeks, now _otakus?!_

Director: Remind me to fire our casting head. CUT!

**Kana and Shinobu, Take 1**

Kana: You disapprove of my methods?

Shinobu: (blasts him with Light Energy) You bet I do, _bitch!_ Now, from now on, _I'm_ in charge! Is that clear, _bitch?_

Kana: (wide-eyed) What? I-

Shinobu: (slaps him) Did I say you could _talk_, bitch? No, I did not! Grovel, _bitch!_

Talon and Kebinu: (watching) Dude... Sucks to be you! (laugh themselves silly)

Shinobu: This book on "Dominatrix for Dummies" really helped my self esteem...

Kana: (groan) I noticed...

Shinobu: (slap) SHUT IT, BITCH!

Director: (rubs his cheeks) It's them, right? It's not me... CUT!

**Kana, Jack, and Shinobu, Take 1**

Kana: The Goddess must retire. Now. It is too dangerous.

Jack: That's for _her_ to decide, not _you._

Kana: I serve fate. It is fate's wish that the Lightbringer not come to harm.

Shinobu: ...

Kana: (clears throat) I said, _I _serve _fate._ It is _fate's_ wish that the Lightbringer _not _come to _harm..._

(Both guys turn. Standing in Shinobu's place is a doll in her form, with the sign **OUT TO LUNCH** hanging on it. Both guys sweatdrop)

Jack: Well, that's just dandy...

Shinobu: (from off-stage) Sorry! I was getting hungry!

Director: Nevermind, CUT!

**Behind the Scenes 1**

(Talon is busy typing at his computer. He then angrily deletes what he wrote, then write more, then deletes it, then writes it again, and so on.)

Talon: Arghhhh! Curse you, writer's block! Foul demon of my mind!

Motoko: (comes in, brandishing her sword) A demon?! Let me at him! Now stand still, Talon...

Talon: (jumps up and backs away) Heck no, you crazy woman! I was being, er, metaphorical!

Motoko: This long of a writer's block can't be natural! (raises her sword) I shall cleanse thee of evil!

Talon: (running away) The hell you will!

Motoko: (runs after him) GET BACK HERE, TAINTED ONE!

Naru: (walking with Kebinu, watching) Wow... He really _is_ fast...

Kebinu: (smirk) Wait and see how fast he gets when she tells him _exactly_ how she'll "cleanse" him...

**Behind the Scenes 2**

Jack: (looking through his computer files) Man, we are _just_ not getting the kinds of reviews that Kanako did with LHFBW...

Lance: (looks up from his own files) Well, what should we do?

Jack: (runs his chin thoughtfully) Hm... Well, Kanako was going through her pregnancy at the time...

_LATER..._

Naru: NO! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! NO!

Jack: (pleading) C'mon Naru! We need more reviews! This is the best way we could think of!

Naru: (punches him through the roof) STUPID PERVERT!

Keitaro: (watching, shakes his head) Poor fool...

**Talon's Introduction, Take 1**

Talon: And with this, President Bush finally succeeded in ridding the world of Saddam Hussein's terror once and for all...

Random Student 1: But not Osama bin Laden's, huh?

Talon: Er...

**Talon and Arney, Take 2**

Talon: Yes, Miss Arney? What can I do for you?

Arney: Can you get on top of the table and perform a strip tease?

Talon: ... Buh?

Arney: See, my mom saw you in the showers at your base one day, and has always wanted a keepsake, so...

Talon: OO (keels over)

**Talon and Arney, Take 3**

Arney: Well... Um... No. I was wondering, about... Well... I'll be blunt, sir.

Talon: Yes?

Arney: ... Er... Um... Damnit! Line!

Director: _Again?!_

Talon: Arney, child, do you need more time to cover the script?

Arney: Sorry sir, director. It's very distracting when Motoko and Shinobu are over there, making out in a corner.

All the males: (turn and look)

Arney: Ha! Made ya' look!

Everyone: (turn and glare)

Arney: Eh heh... sorry?

**Talon and Arney, Take 4**

Talon: Well... What do you think I should be doing, Miss Arney? Instead?

Arney: How about directing?

Talon: -- Miss Arney, if you're not going to take this seriously...

**The Catalcysm, Take 1**

Talon: AAAAHHHHH! I'm trapped underneath my collapsed house! Someone help me! AAAAAHHHHH!

Director: Er... Talon, you're supposed to push out of the tub.

Talon: I'm stuck! Get me out of here! Help! HELP! I'M SUFFOCATING!

Director: sweatdrop Oh boy...

**Benjamin's Departure, Take 2**

Ben: I'm bound for my destiny! (drives away, before the car's motor sputters and dies)

Ben: Huh?

Director: (groan) Don't tell me we _forgot_ to fill her up!

Ben: Odd, I didn't see this coming...

**Kebinu's Introduction, Take 5**

Kebinu: Cool! I can manipulate fire!

Kebinu accidentally sets his house on fire.

Director: Oh, _so_ not cool. Cut.

Kebinu: (cringe) If my parents were alive, they'd freak...

**Jack's Introduction, Take 2**

Jack: People ought to have to take a test before they're allowed to use a computer... I've had to fix every damn machine in this school twice this semester...

Roy: Oh, quit your bitching, the world's about to end...

Jack: Huh? Roy: (tucks script behind his back) Oh, nothing...

Director: (sigh) Cut.

**Behind the Scenes 3**

Talon: (fooling around in the prop room) Yes! I am... THE ONE! Feel the fury of GREYSPAR! MWAHAHAHA!

Director: Talon? ... That's a mop.

Talon: ... Oh. I though it was a little long...

**Shinobu in Colorado Springs, Take 3**

Shinobu: No, really, I'm not God!

Healed Guy: _Joy to the world, Shinobu's come! _

Shinobu: No, no! That's not-

Healed Guy: _The Earth receives her queen! Her beauty sends us alllll, running to the hilllls, _

Shinobu: Wait, stop! Let's-

Healed Guy: _To repeat the sounding joy, to repeat the sounding joy! To reeeepeat, repeeaaat, the sound in-_

Shinobu: (sighs, covers her ears, crying)

Director: Let's _not_ add this to the soundtrack, okay? Cut.

**Behind the Scenes 4**

Arney: (Running around with Kebinu's axe) WAHAHAHAHA!

Talon and Kebinu: RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!

Naru: (sigh) Baka, leaving his weapon where anyone could just pick it up...

**Ben and Kanako, Take 1**

Ben: And they shall be called the Four Sovereigns of Narnia, two Sons of Adam, and Two Daughters of Eve, and they shall reign until-

Kanako: Ben, that's not a prophecy. That's barely even C.S. Lewis.

Ben: Oh! Oh, right, eh heh, let me just find the script...

Director: Don't bother, just cut.

**Behind the Scenes 5**

Talon: (knocking on a trailer door) Mutsumi! Mutsumi! It's time for the next take! We heave to go!

Mutsumi: (opens the door) Ara, I'm sorry Talon-kun, I was in the shower. I'm... Ara, are you all right?

Talon: (gawking at Mutsumi's, er... Less-than-toweled self) Buh... Gah... Wah...

**Kebinu Meets Naru, Take 1**

Naru: AIIIEEEEE!

Kebinu: Whoops! tries to move his hand

Naru: Ohhhhhh YES! Again! HARDER!

Kebinu: ...good god... realizes where his hand is, and nosebleeds

Director: CUT! And someone get a mop!

**Kebinu Gets his Axe, Take 1**

Kebinu: Hey Naru, check this out! spinning axe around I slice! I dice! I make French fries ten different ways!

Naru: Dammit, stop fooling around with that thing before someone gets—

Kebinu: accidentally slashes his foot open

Naru: —hurt.

Kebinu: OO YEOWWWWW!!!

Naru: rolls her eyes Idiot.

Kebinu: writhing on the ground This isn't supposed to happen to me! I'm a Mary Sue!

Director: ...this is why I said no horseplay on the set... MEDIC!

**Motoko Encounters Kana, Take 1**

Motoko: warily Who are you?

Kana: narrows his eyes

Motoko: narrows her eyes

Kana: scowls

Motoko: scowls

Kana: ...

Motoko: ...well?

Kana: ...

Motoko: ...

Kana: ...I'm Batman.

Motoko: falls over

Director: CUT! I can't even trust you, can I Kana?

**Ben and Kanako, Take 2**

Kanako: Well, Benjamin the telepath... I assume you know why I am here?

Ben: Not yet. However, if you would indulge me for just a second... extends his hand

Kanako: nods and takes his hand

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kanako: clutching her hand OW! You little #$$&#—

Ben: holds up hand buzzer Mwa ha! Gotcha!

Director: sigh CUT...

**Naru and Kebinu's Car Scene, Take 1**

Naru: So I'll be the empress Naru, and you'll be my faithful retainer, Kebinu, wielder of the mighty axe... what do you call that thing, anyway?

Kebinu: frowns Huh?

Naru: Doesn't it have a name?

Kebinu: Not as far as I know.

Naru: You should give it one, then.

Kebinu: Very well. I shall call it... camera zooms in on his face dramatically Mini-Me!

Naru: ...

Director: sigh CUT...

**Naru and Kebinu's Car Scene, Take 2**

Kebinu: Or at least... at least you didn't have to make me wear your skirt!

Naru: Ha! You think that's all you have to do?

Kebinu: Eh?

Naru: Stop the car!

Kebinu: stomps on the brakes

Naru: Remove your seatbelt!

Kebinu: Uh... unbuckles

Naru: conjures fireball Now... you will DANCE!

Kebinu: YIPE! jumps up on the seat and starts flailing around

Naru: hits the stereo and Haddaway's "What Is Love?" starts playing

Stereo: **_WHAT IS LOVE? LADY DON'T HURT ME... DON'T HURT ME... NO MORE..._**

Talon, Lance, Jack, Baka-Alaskan, Keitaro, Ben, and pretty much every other male character: pointing and laughing hysterically

Silver: WORK IT, KEBINU!

Naru: holds up a dollar

Shinobu and Motoko: blushing

Kebinu: I hate you all!

Kana: Idiots. turns and walks off down the hall doing the Hustle

Director: Are we still rolling? Turn the damn thing off already—

Kanako: frantically No! No! Keep rolling! This is comedy gold!

Director: sweatdrop

**Talon versus Greg, Take 1**

Death's-Head/Greg: Not bad... even though you have no technique.

Talon: WHAT?!

Greg: You've probably relied on your speed and your sword your whole life, right?

Talon: Well, what's so special about YOU?

Greg: poses I know... kung fu!

Talon: YOU BASTARD! I'm supposed to be the one who does the Matrix jokes! jumps at him and they fight

Lucia: watching Looks like a... what's the male equivalent of a catfight?

Mutsumi: ...um, aren't you knocked out?

Lucia: And on that note! flees

Director: Cut... Lucia, get back here and get in position again...

**Talon versus Greg, Take 2**

Death's-Head/Greg: Not bad... even though you have no technique.

Talon: WHAT?!

Greg: You've probably relied on your speed and your sword your whole life, right?

Talon: Well, what's so special about YOU?

Greg: Nothing, Missssster Talon... Except that I'm the one to kill you!

Talon: HEY! What did I say about the Matrix jokes?!

Greg: (scoff) Oh please... You're not even wearing sunglasses!

Talon: I have the speed, the angst, and the black wardrobe! (poses) I am _so_ qualified to do Matrix jokes!

Greg: Are not!

Talon: Are too!

Greg: Are not!

Talon: Are too!

Director: CUT! You're acting like a pair of two-years olds!

Greg and Talon: (point at eachother) HE STARTED IT!

Mutsumi: (sweatdrop) Ara ara...

**Behind the Scenes 6**

Naru: (throwing fire at screaming pedestrians outside the studio) BWAHAHAHAHAHA! FEEL THE BURN, FOOLISH MORTALS!

Talon: (waving his arms) NARU! WE DON'T NEED MORE LAWSUITS! REMEMBER THE BUS OF NUNS?!

Naru: (snarl) I HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY! (fries him)

Talon: (twitching, burnt) Ouch...

**Kanako and Haruka, Take 1**

Haruka: Did you get all that?

Kanako: (doesn't reply)

Haruka... Kanako?

Kanako: Bw4h4h4h4h4! ph34r 7h3 wr47h 0 M4$73r (h31 !

Lance: (wide eyed) Holy shit! She's talking l33t _and_ kicking ass in Halo on X-box?!

Kebinu: She _is_ pure evil...

Director: (µ7!


End file.
